The Legend of Zuko
by UntestedWaters
Summary: What if it all ended differently? What if Team Avatar wasn't completely successful? Would all hope be lost? Or would they be able to bring themselves back together and fight for the world once again? (AU, Warning for character death) Rated M for violence, language and adult themes. There will be specific warnings for each chapter.
1. Chapter 1 - Blood is Thicker Than Water

Hello all! So this is my first published piece of fanfiction but it is in fact taking me forever to complete. In the first two chapters, I have to give credit to my best friend as she did help to write the original drafts of those chapters, but they've undergone major edits by me since then and everything past that is all me.

Speaking of edits, if you're an old fan of the story, you might want to go back and reread everything as it is undergoing a major edit (currently, the first three chapters have been edited. 4, 5 and 6 have not been). If you're new, then welcome! And lucky you, you didn't have to read my terrible writing from before! (Although the three latest chapters are still rather atrocious.)

Anyhooha, I'm hoping to have that done and over with in the next couple of weeks and then I can move on and write Chapter Seven, which is something I'm _really_ looking forward to!

I'm going to give my general warning now: there is course language throughout (including slurs at some point in the future, I'm sure) and there is character death. It is strongly AU and there will be both a male/male relationship and a female/female relationship. The listed pairings will be mentioned/present but they aren't the focus of this story. I will eventually be writing a Jetko epic so follow me to be updated on when that comes out. :)

I'm going to try to update this more frequently, but it's easier if I have reviews to push me so if you like it (or even if you don't!) let me know in a review! :)

As always, check my profile to see what I'm working on!

**Chapter:** One  
**Title:** Blood is Thicker Than Water  
**Rating:** T  
**Warning:** There's some mild language and violence (not too descriptive) but the main thing for this chapter is character death. If you're one of those people who needs to know which character before you emotionally commit to reading this, shoot me a message.  
**Chapter Summary: **Team Avatar goes to take down the Fire Nation. Things go horribly wrong. Also in which only four characters actually appear. And if you read the summary of the story before clicking here then this chapter summary really gave you zero information.  
**Word Count:** 4,913

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There was an eerie feeling that crept up Zuko's spine as he stood, tense and ready, as the wind blew his raven hair out of his eyes. His hands were clenched tightly, fingers digging into his palms. There was a warmth that spread through him, not rage, but instead a clarity of purpose and direction that fueled his strength and mettle.

He raised his chin in challenge and defiance as he stared across the open ground to his opponent, who stood, casual and relaxed. The warm breeze ruffled her hair, which was tied up in a formal top knot with the Fire Lord's crown resting in it. Zuko narrowed his good eye as she glanced down at her shoes, feigning uninterest in him.

"Really ZuZu? You're going to fight me? Your own sister?" she said in that flat, cold tone she had so often used with him.

A thousand thoughts knocked at the walls Zuko had put up around them but he forced himself to ignore them. He had to do this; and so he took up a fighting stance. "Yes. I am," he replied, just as frostily.

Azula shrugged one shoulder in acceptance. "Alright then. It'll be your funeral."

There was a placid silence that fell across the dilapidated arena as brother and sister squared off in their match.

The two circled each other with silent footsteps as tension sizzled between them. There was a great deal of open space between them and Zuko mentally absorbed his surroundings, already wondering how he might use them to his advantage. He tried to ignore the butterfly feeling that was causing his stomach to turn.

Azula caught the slight movement of his eyes and, just as he should've expected, used it to her advantage. It was just enough of a distraction for her to strike first. As she spun and extended her arm, scorching blue flames flew from her two extended fingertips.

Zuko was taken off-guard for only the briefest of moments before regaining his focus and diving forward, toward the flames. He hit the ground, shoulder-first, and rolled into a lethal crouch. As he did so, he swung his foot out, pushing flames in a large wave across the stone towards his sister, who sent a wall of flame back at Zuko. Her flames engulfed his and traveled past, but as they reached Zuko, he widened his stance, caught the flames and swirled them until they vanished, leaving nothing but the faintest hint of smoke to prove they ever existed.

When he straightened and looked back at Azula, she was looking at her nails, not paying him much mind. Zuko set his jaw as anger rose from the pit of his stomach. Azula's face held that sickening grin that made him want to scream through his clenched teeth.

Like a sleek, deadly cobra-eel, Azula started forward with an onslaught of attacks. She spun and whirled, kicking and swinging her arms, two fingers of each hand extended. One after another, tendrils of growing blue flame found their way from her and toward her brother, attempting to ensnare him in a trap of cold fire. Her movements were fluid and practiced; and Zuko noticed, with a faint hint of contempt, she was a clear master of her firebending forms. Each attack linked into the next like a vicious, dangerous dance.

Zuko jerked back into action, ducking the first wave of flame just in time. He copied her elegant movement with a more hurried version of his own. He was driven backward by the weight of the attack, returning some of her own fire and avoiding the rest. He came to a stop and assessed how far backward he had moved. _I need to get on the offensive_, he thought worriedly.

"Do you see the power the comet brings us, Zuko?" Azula inquired, calling out to her brother over the open space. "This is why we are the superior nation. This is why we conquer. We harness the power bestowed upon us."

Zuko shook his head. "You're wrong, Azula. You _abuse_ the power bestowed upon you." His eye widened as flames came rushing toward him again. He clapped his hands in front of himself quickly, creating a break in the flames as they rushed past him on both sides.

"Hush, ZuZu. You've become faint of heart; how could you possibly understand?" she asked.

"I've been one of the world's people. I understand more than you ever will," he called back. He didn't want to let himself get wrapped up in this conversation; he knew the memories of people who had suffered would come rushing back and distract him, but it was hard not to argue when she was so painfully _wrong._

Azula began to speak again but Zuko wasn't listening; before his opportunity passed, Zuko stepped and punched one fist forward, sending a massive ball of bright orange flame at Azula. He didn't miss a beat as he quickly and deftly punched, swung, spun and kicked, flames flying across the way rapidly toward his sister. His tenacity displayed his equal, or perhaps even greater, mastery of his element than his sister, but if you looked at the two it was clear they weren't the same, something Zuko would only notice when he looked back on this weeks later. Azula on the one hand was very agile, yes, but also very much controlled by the imperialistic form of firebending she had been taught. Zuko, however, had a sort of finesse about him, a fluidity, strength and agility that spoke of a mixture of cultures.

Azula scoffed in shock and dismay as she frantically moved to deflect and dodge the attacks. Finally, wanting to avoid a horizontal wave of flames, she leaned back and stumbled, falling flat on her back.

Zuko didn't let up as he stepped closer to his fallen foe with each attack. Finally he was only ten feet away from the young woman who had tortured him for seventeen long years. For a brief moment, as he stood over her, fists poised, he thought of what she would do if their positions were switched. It wouldn't even be a thought. She would strike and he would be dead. But even now, his gut twisted and he couldn't do it. So instead, he met her eyes with a stare as menacing as he could muster.

"It's over, Azula. Give up," Zuko said, staying in his stance. That sickening grin spread across Azula's red lips once more.

"On the contrary, brother, it's just begun." Azula leapt lithely to her feet and danced gracefully backward. Zuko lowered his center of gravity in a defensive stance, holding one hand out toward her with two fingers up and the other behind him, elbow raised and hand in a fist.

Azula grinned mercilessly and with an angered yell, thrust her arm forward, shooting more flame than Zuko had ever seen come from a firebender.

This time, he remained calm. Now that they had been fighting for several minutes, he felt as though he were feeling more at ease, relaxing as he realized that he knew what he was doing and he did in fact have the strength to defeat her. He took a deep breath and as he punched his back hand forward, he exhaled powerfully, summoning the strength of the comet to fuel his fire.

The two forces met somewhere between the siblings, blue flame halting against orange fire. The flames continued to flow and they found themselves in a stalemate. Zuko felt a single bead of sweat roll down his face as watched his sister, seeing plainly on her face all the hatred and fury she was summoning, pulling it from deep within her to aid her in her fight. Zuko, however, closed his eyes and breathed deeply. _Power in firebending comes from the breath, Prince Zuko!_ He even smiled as he heard his Uncle's voice in his head, a faint turning of his lips that was so very uncharacteristic. He drew strength from his purpose, his goal of protecting the people he cared about and restoring balance to the world.

When he opened his eyes, he could see the sheer panic on his sister's face. She was reeling and he could almost hear her thinking, _how? He can't possibly be stronger than I am!_ But sure enough, the orange seemed to break through the blue and Azula's eyes widened in fear. "No!" she shouted as she stumbled back.

There was a large flash and then the flames dispersed, leaving small fires scattered about the arena and smoke billowing into the sky.

Azula lay on the ground on her side, her hair a ragged mess from the fight and the Fire Lord's crown laying several feet away, curled slightly and covered in ash. Zuko slumped a bit, feeling the oppression of fatigue wash over him, but he forced himself to stay standing. She was tiring as well and their fight would soon draw to a close one way or another. He could still see the panic flashing across her face as her mind scrambled for an idea, a trick of some sort. But Zuko was a step ahead of her now. He knew if he goaded her just a little bit, she would rush herself, do something completely rash, and he would be ready for it. Straightening his stance, he called, "What, Azula? No lightning, today?" his voice taking on a taunting tone as he and strode toward her motionless form. She stirred, pushing herself up on her elbows before moving into a crouch. "What's the matter, afraid I'll redirect it?" Zuko baited. _I just need to get her to attack once more, expend all her energy. Then it'll really be over, _he thought, trying to mentally ready himself to finish his sister once and for all. This was something he _had _to do.

"Oh, I'll show you lightning," Azula said coldly as she pushed herself to her feet. When Zuko looked at her now, she looked...insane. Her hair was in disarray, her eyes wide and crazed as lightning gathered around her sweeping hands. But Zuko was ready, taking his stance and breathing deeply, just as Uncle had taught him-

"Zuko!"

Zuko turned quickly upon hearing Katara's voice, his focus completely shattered; she was gliding gracefully into the arena on a thin sheet of ice that gathered before her.

"No! Get out of here, Katara!" Zuko called back. He was already looking back at Azula, apprehension in his eyes. Katara started to say something in protest but Zuko wasn't even listening.

Right before sending the lightning at him, Azula paused. Her eyes shifted to the waterbender before her, something Zuko's careful gaze didn't miss. Then, she shifted her stance ever so slightly. Zuko's heart skipped a beat in fear and panic and then he was forcing his tired limbs to move, running as quickly as he could as he yelled, "Katara!"

That's when time seemed to slow down into this sick, sluggish suspense. Zuko never looked back at Azula; it was like he had tunnel vision and he couldn't tear his eyes away from Katara's confused face. With the last of his strength, Zuko pushed his feet off the ground and himself into the air, diving in front of the lightning. The slow motion feeling dissipated just then and Zuko hit the ground quicker than he could blink. He more heard his failure than he felt it, as Katara screamed in pain and dropped to the ground beside him. Only then did he realize he felt the soft ache of hitting the stone beneath him and not the terrible agony of lightning.

Zuko pushed himself onto his elbows and then up, moving quickly to his knees beside the young girl. He watched helplessly as her body convulsed, the current reaching her heart. There was a brief moment of sheer panic as he looked helplessly down at her, his mind searching for what to do. In the next moment, he picked up her body and held her, clinging as if he were hanging off the edge of a cliff with his fingertips. "Katara? Katara, no… Katara, please. Katara you can't be… No, _please, _Katara! _Katara!_" There was no response and finally, he began to shake her, her head jerking back and forth, as if that would rouse her back into consciousness. "Come on, Katara!" He was shouting now, a roar that came from deep in his chest and resonated anguish. "Don't you quit now! They need you! Sokka and Aang and Toph need you!" But he couldn't even say he was surprised when she still didn't answer him, her eyes closed and her body limp. He pressed his lips together hard, trying to trap the sob that was bubbling up in his throat. "_I_ need you…" And this time softer, with a wavering crack in his voice that he simply couldn't keep out. Then that sob _did_ break through and he clutched her body against his, burying his face in her cold shoulder and clenching his teeth to keep the tears at bay. "Please Katara… You have to be okay." But there was a cold chill over him, a sickening feeling in his gut and he knew, he _knew_, he was only deceiving himself. He couldn't feel her heartbeat, couldn't hear any breath. ...She was gone. "I-... I'm so sorry, Katara…" Zuko whispered. He clenched his eyes tightly, holding Katara's cold hand to his cheek. His stomach sank even further when he let go of her fingers and they dropped, lifeless, to her side. "...Goodbye...Katara."

As Zuko stared down at Katara's lifeless form, he heard the unmistakable sound of flames. His eye widening, he turned toward Azula, panic striking his heart. He immediately let go of Katara's body, freeing his hands to defend himself. He reacted just in time to feel the flames singe the hair on his arms instead of burning his flesh. "This isn't over yet Zu-Zu!" she called, a disgusting grin playing at the edge's of her lips.

He rose to his feet slowly, taking careful steps away from Katara as he swallowed his emotions, but his hands were shaking as he clenched them into fists; his breath came unsteady and fast. _I need to face her now and think about Katara later._ "How could you Azula? All you do is hurt people. Do you have a heart at all?!" he yelled at her, feeling his anger bubble up inside him once again.

Azula strode towards him, the grin gone from her lips. "I do what needs to be done for the benefit of the Fire Nation; it's what any good Fire Lord would do." Another blast.

_Who does she think she is, calling herself the Fire Lord? This isn't over._ Zuko dodged sideways, but his heart skipped a beat as it came closer than he expected. He was slower, which was all it took for the nerves to rise back into the pit of his stomach, his confidence vanishing like fog with the sun. _Forget Katara for now. You'll have time to feel guilty later._

He tried turning that guilt into some of his old anger, pushing several fire blasts in Azula's direction but he could feel it in the pit of his stomach immediately. The anger wasn't what fueled him anymore; in fact, it was blocking his power. In light of this, only more rage boiled up within him and he didn't know what to do but shout and punch fire through the air.

"You didn't even know her! She was kind and loyal and caring! All of those things I _wish_ my sister had been! You're a monster, Azula. Mother was right," Zuko said, letting his fury own his words. His last few words were low and layered with hatred, wanting Azula to feel even a fraction of the pain that was clenching his heart.

Zuko could see her stumble on her counterattack, her face falling momentarily at the mention of their mother, but just as quickly, it was gone. "Mother was weak. She let her emotions cloud her judgment, but look where that got her. Don't you see, brother: caring is what gets you killed." She snarled to punctuate her words and sent a massive wall of fire his way.

Zuko's eye widened at the wave of flame that came barreling toward him and quickly formed a whip of fire. He cracked it forward, splitting the wall enough so that it passed right by him on both sides. Zuko shook his head. "As usual, you're wrong, Azula. Mother was a human being. She was like Katara. She had a heart. It was something I didn't have for a long time. It's something you'll never have. Look around you, Azula. You're all alone. And you always will be," he said, holding his arms out wide to make his point. The wind blew lightly, their only companion in the quiet arena.

As he stood there, pleading with his sister to see what he was saying, he had a startling realization. He didn't want to fight anymore. After taking another glance at Katara's motionless form, he had almost lost the will, but no way was he going to let Azula get away with murder without one hell of a fight. Using that as a new sense of purpose and clinging to it desperately, he kept hold of his makeshift whip and made his way quickly toward his sister, cracking and extending the length of flame toward her repeatedly while shooting bursts of flame with his other hand.

Flipping over the fireballs, Azula threw her hands down with a rush of blue flame, propelling herself upwards and onto the roof of the small building behind her. She kicked an arc of flame at him, but kept moving; agility was one of her greatest strengths so Zuko aimed at her legs, trying to slow her down. "Look where having a heart got them. Dead and 'missing'. I may be alone, but I'll never grieve like you. Besides, who needs friends when I have a whole nation to adore me?" Even as she spoke, she was relentless with her attacks, making Zuko dodge and counter over and over as he tried to focus. It took all of his self-control to not scream at Azula's blatant disregard for their mother. Ursa had been Zuko's world when she disappeared what started was the ever-growing snowball of a lifetime of misery and contempt for him.

He returned her attacks, blow for blow, but his fatigue and distracted mind were catching up to him as he focused more on not getting hit by the flames than actually hurting her. But as he moved through his firebending forms, he answered her with words that spoke of a wisdom only learned from the great Dragon of the West. "They don't love you. They fear you. You'll never know what love feels like. You can't," he said simply. Thinking of Uncle helped him to focus and he intentionally drew power from the comet to fuel his attack. With a large breath, he pushed a ball of flame at her large enough to encompass the whole roof she was poised on top of.

Azula dove towards the enormous ball, creating a shield of blue large enough to keep his flames at bay. A flash of heat and a few minor burn wounds later, Azula was crouched on the ground, catching her breath. "I have everything I've ever wanted. I don't need love. Not from you, not from anyone, especially not Mother." The sound she made then was something animalistic, like a cobra-jackal ripping into its prey. And then she threw her arms forward, sending two long trains of blue at her opponent.

Zuko dove forward as the two forces of fire came at him and came closer together, forming a "v" behind him as he rolled and landed in a crouch, pushing his arms up and out as he did so in one fluid movement, forming two trails of scorching flame that crackled in Azula's direction.

"Look out Azula!" a worried voice that sounded more like tinkling bells called from above. A lithe girl came tumbling into the arena in an array of acrobatics, finally landing gracefully on her feet. Azula smirked, stopping the oncoming flames with one hand, merging them together, the red turning to blue.

"Ty Lee, what a pleasant surprise." Zuko didn't fail to notice the uncharacteristic hint of warmth in her voice. Then Azula shot the ball back with a slight grunt.

With relative ease, Zuko deflected the flames into nonexistence and then shifted his stance, spreading his feet further apart and staying lower, more defensive, as he held one hand out in Azula's direction and the other in Ty Lee's. The first two fingers on each hand were up and ready to shoot flame while the others stayed carefully tucked into his palm.

Zuko looked at Ty Lee with an accusatory glint in his eyes, but his gaze didn't linger long; his eyes shifted quickly back to his sister. He knew who the real threat was "Where's Mai?!" he demanded of Ty Lee. He hadn't seen the gloomy girl since she had betrayed Azula to help him escape at the Boiling Rock. And that in and of itself was something he had never been expecting. Yes, they had history but to risk her _life_ for him… He had been thoroughly surprised. _Another thing for me to feel guilty about._

"Still in prison. After all, She _did_ commit treason." Ty Lee's voice was quiet. It seemed as though she had mixed feelings on that last statement, but Zuko didn't feel bad for her. She chose her place, standing beside Azula, and she'd have to face the consequences of that choice.

"Feel free to join her ZuZu. Since it's your fault she's in there." Azula sent him a wave of fire to accompany her taunt.

Zuko gritted his teeth together in anger, guilt clenching his gut. He would've argued with Azula but he knew she was right. There was no one to blame for Mai's imprisonment but him. If he hadn't gone on a stupid suicide mission with Sokka, Mai wouldn't be in prison. _Think about Mai later, _he nearly snarled at himself, shaking his head roughly.

He refocused himself as he saw Azula's new wave of attacks almost as if it were in slow motion. He dodged and volleyed her attacks with perfect form, sending back his own flames when he could. Ty Lee was beginning to be a nuisance as she kept lunging for him and it became more and more difficult to engage in her little dance as well as focus on Azula. _I need a plan, quick._ His eyes flickered between his two opponents, analyzing how well they fought together. Azula carefully placed her flames so they would swerve around Ty Lee and reach him and Ty Lee was always a hair's breadth away from being burnt to a crisp but never panicking for it. It was almost kind of beautiful. It spoke of a trust and deeper understanding that people who weren't extremely close would never be able to achieve. An idea dawned on Zuko in that moment and in Ty Lee's next series of attacks, he moved toward her, blocking her fists instead of back away from her as he hand been. He could see the surprise on Ty Lee's face as he did this and the next time her small hand extended toward him, he dodged sideways and grabbed her wrist, pulling harshly and using her momentum against her. Then, he was jerking her back, spinning her around and cinching her other wrist in the process, twisting them both up painfully high behind her back. She cried out softly and he winced at the sound, but tried to will the guilty feeling away.

As he had hoped, Azula took pause at this. She straightened out of her battle stance and crossed her arms over her chest. "What are you doing, ZuZu?" she asked, her tone completely nonchalant and casually, as if she were simply asking him which kind of tea he preferred.

"Give it up, Azula," he replied.

Azula raised one carefully plucked brow. "Give what up? How do you think this is going to go, Zuko? You think you're going to hold her hostage and I'm just going to give in to you to spare her life?"

A frown formed between Zuko's eyebrows. "...Yes," he said finally. Laughter bubbled up from Azula's throat and Zuko grit his teeth in annoyance. "I mean it, Azula! I'll kill her." He tried to sound menacing, to keep his voice strong but somewhere in there, his voice caught a little bit.

That only made his sister laugh even harder. "Oh _please_, ZuZu. You and I both know you're not going to kill her," she said, her tone light and amused. Then, she sobered suddenly. "But I will. Don't think for a second, I won't burn her flesh from her bones to defeat you."

Zuko's eyes widened as he realized just how sick she was. _She's a complete and utter sociopath. She doesn't care about anyone…. How can you beat someone who doesn't care?_ He pulled tighter against Ty Lee's arms, making her cry out. "I'm calling your bluff Azula," he called, not knowing what else to do.

"No, Brother," was her low, lethal response, "I'm calling yours." Blue flames rushed towards them and Zuko reacted purely on instinct, throwing Ty Lee to the side and holding his forearms up to protect his face. _No time to bend properly!_ he thought as he felt the hair on his arms burn and his skin sting with the heat. His knees gave out then and he landed heavily on all four, panting with his head hung. His arms were screaming in protest at the abuse they'd just endured. He didn't even lift his head as Azula called out to taunt him again. "I knew you couldn't do it. You couldn't even let me do it. You're weak. Pathetic," she spat her words out at him, like the sight of him left a bad taste in her mouth. And knowing her, it probably did.

He was so focus on the pain wracking his body and trying to summon the determination to rise and fight again that he didn't notice Ty Lee push herself up behind him. He heard a soft, shaky, "Sorry Zuko," before feeling a series of quick jabs in half a dozen of his joints and pressure points.

A throaty grunt came from Zuko as he felt the horror of his chi halting inside his body. Ty Lee's words registered moments later and by then the ground was rushing toward him.

Another sound escaped him as his arms gave way and his face, followed by the rest of his body, hit the ground with a dull, silencing _thud_. His eyes were wide. _I lost. How could I let them all down?_ Zuko dwelled on this thought as he watched Azula draw closer.

He turned his eyes on Ty Lee. The guilt was clear on her face and he could see that her hands were trembling before she clasped them tightly in front of her. He thought he saw her eyes shining a bit more than usual, but she looked away from him and toward the ground so quickly that he had to assume he was imagining things.

Azula looked down at him, a malicious grin on her face. "Check mate, brother," she said flatly, bending to pick up her discarded crown.

Zuko curled his lip as he felt Ty Lee's fingers pinch between his shoulder and his neck tightly. His vision fogged as he forced words from his mouth. "It's not...over..." he choked out in a whisper. Azula simply grinned as she placed her crown back into her top knot.

Then, Zuko's world went black.


	2. Chapter 2 - Little Soldier Boy

I am very happy with the edit of this chapter. And I hope all of you will be too!

**Chapter:** Two  
**Title:** Little Soldier Boy  
**Rating: **T  
**Warning: **Warning for drastic changes. This is a must in the re-reading process. If you think you know what happened in chapter two before, let me assure you, you do not. Other than this, there is brief violence and maybe a few misplaced cuss words. And warning for lots of heavy turmoil. And angst. **  
Chapter Summary: **In which Zuko and Azula say more mean things to each other, clearly strengthening their sibling bond, and Aang makes an appearance where he sticks his big fat nose in every and causes a huge mess. Classic Avatar.**  
Word Count: **8,943

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When the sun rose, there was nothing to signify it as the dark was all-encompassing. Even though Zuko awoke and opened his eyes, he couldn't see anything in the pitch blackness of the room. He blinked several times, trying to get his eyes to adjust to the darkness. Grogginess fogged his brain and sleep still filled his eyes.

As he sat up, a low groaning sound reached his ears and only when he really took notice of the aches and pains, the stinging and stabbing, throughout his body did he realize that sound had come from him. His head was pounding and he touched his hand to his temple, wincing slightly. "What happened?" he asked the shadows. But of course, there was no response.

It hurt his head, trying to remember, but he tried nonetheless until suddenly, images came rushing back to him. Flame scorching past him on either side, huge monstrous waves of singing heat and deadly blue. "No!" he shouted, panic welling up inside him as he recalled his failure.

He thought back to the end of the battle while trying to sit up further. "Ty Lee…" he said, defeat layering his voice. "I should've known…" Guilt and shame swallowed him whole like a massive tidal wave and he choked back the urge to breakdown into shambles. How could he have been so stupid? A thousand times over, he had trained with Uncle and the men on his ship, fighting two opponents, but when it came down to it, he still failed. This was something to fixate on in the dark and his mind never strayed far from this fact in the following hours. Or maybe it was days, or even weeks.

Zuko's head was dizzy with fatigue and pain, swimming in and out of a hazy mist that made it difficult to stay awake. His stomach churned with the guilt and as he went to move forward onto his hands and knees, preparing to vomit, he realized his hands were shackled to the cold stone wall behind him. "What the-?" He tugged at the chains lightly at first but as his frustration grew, the fog in his head cleared considerably and he pulled on them harder and harder until finally he was roaring his anger and his wrists were cut and bleeding from the strain of the metal.

With a final, anguished shout, he slumped as he finally gave up on the chains. Panting to catch his breath from his exerted efforts, he couldn't help but resume his troubled thinking, still gathering his thoughts about his Agni Kai with his sister.

And then he _was _lurching forward, tugging harshly at the chains again as he leaned over as far as he could to heave what little contents his stomach held onto the dank floor. The most gruesome memory finally coming back to him, like it was something that resenting being oppressed. It snuck up on him like something with a _vengeance_. The sickening flash of lightning, the leaden feeling in his legs as he pushed himself to run faster, the horrifying moment of his body hitting the concrete, the cold, glassy look in Katara's eyes as he held her. That alone, the thought of how miserably he had let her down, was enough to make him vomit. "No…oh, no… Katara," he said, voice soft and laden with sadness, his arms trembling as they held him up. He pinched his eyes shut and clenched his teeth together, trying to keep the tears at bay. "I will avenge you. I promise," he vowed solemnly.

And when he heaved again, this time he let the tears choke out of him with the bile.

* * *

A stream of light leaked into the dark room and Zuko hissed in pain as he turned his face away from it. He had completely lost track of time. No one had come to bring him food or water and he had spent most of his time here completely unconscious from lack of energy and the constant pain, both physical and mental.

"Hello Brother, how are you on this fine morning?" There was laughter in her voice as Azula crossed her arms, taking another step towards Zuko.

He merely blinked, trying to focus his eyes. "Ah...Azula?" he said, his voice raspy with sleep. He swallowed dryly, trying to find more strength in his voice before he shouted, "Let me out of here!"

"Why would I do that? I have you exactly where I want you. Tied up and out of the way." Azula's trademark sadistic smirk played on her lips, making Zuko want to rip those lips right off her face. "You know, I pity you Zuko. We could have made a great team. I guess you just didn't have it in you." She sighed and almost sounded sad, regretful. But Zuko knew better than to fall into that particular trap.

"Yeah right. You never wanted us to be a team. All you do is lie. You deceive and cheat and _lie_. There's no honor in winning through means like that," he said, glaring up at her from where he sat on his knees in the gloomy cell.

"Oh ZuZu, when will you realize that life isn't about honor? It's about power. How I won doesn't matter, because I accomplished what I set out to do. I am the new Fire Lord. Where did honor get you?" The mockery in her voice was enough to make him want to pull his hair out.

Zuko grit his teeth, wincing at the sickening sound they made that echoed inside his head. "It got me right where I needed to be: fighting to stop you." Defiance and malice burned in his golden eyes as he felt an unprecedented hatred for his sister boil through his veins. He had never thought so much about hating her. Anger, yes, he felt anger towards her. Jealousy. Contempt. But never hatred. She was his sister. And he thought he had loved her. He realized now that it was very difficult to love a person like her, someone who's not really a person at all. Difficult and most definitely not worth it.

Azula laughed, crouching down next to her brother. "And you tried _so_ hard, didn't you? But in the end, the stronger sibling did prevail. I'm afraid you won't be fighting anyone any time soon."

Zuko lifted his head and grinned right back at her, the expression turning into an almost-sneer. "Because you're scared," he said smugly. "I bet you have Toph and Sokka all locked up too, because you're terrified of what we could do to you." He erupted with laughter then, something that actually made Azula frown. The thought of Toph getting her hands on his sister was enough to drastically improve his mood. "And where's Aang, huh? I bet he bested Father. It's only a matter of time before you're next. If the Great Phoenix King Ozai was no match then what makes you think a silly little girl like you stands a chance?" It was exhilarating, saying these things to his sister. So many times Zuko had wished he'd had the guts to tell her off. So many times the words were on the edge of his tongue. So many times he'd choked them back down.

Azula simply scoffed, not that he'd expected much more. "Please, afraid of you and your so called friends? Don't make me laugh. I'm not Father. If he lost to a child, then he deserves whatever he got. I, on the other hand, would never lose to a little boy, an inferior. Like you," she added, quipping her words so there were sharp and nearly painful. She stood then, her features resettling into that cold, fake mask that spoke of no emotion and showed only wickedness. "As much as I love our little chats, I have much to do before execution day," she said, trailing off lightly as she looked down at her well-manicured nails. She was letting that one sink in, but it didn't take long for Zuko to find the string and follow it. "It'll be a nice family reunion Zuko," she continued, not really giving him a chance to formulate a response, "Aren't you excited?" Her eyes narrowed with malice and then the charade was up as she lowered her voice into what could only be heard as a threat. "Don't you miss your Uncle?"

Zuko's good eye narrowed viciously and he bared his teeth in a snarl. "What do you mean?" he demanded, even though he had a not-so-subtle idea that he already knew.

With a flip of her hair: "By decree of the new Fire Lord, all treasonists shall be put to death." Zuko wouldn't think about how proud she sounded and how _sick_ it made him feel to know that the blood running in her veins was no different than what flowed through his own.

"No!" Zuko roared, his voice raw and gritty as he lunged forward, tugging viciously at the chains manacling his wrists. "You can't do this to him!" Every time he shouted, it felt as though needles were stabbing into his throat, but he had to do _something_ and he didn't know what else to _do._ He hung his head, a rigid frown fixed between his eyebrows. "Me, yes. Kill me. I'm a threat to your throne and to your power. But Uncle… He's not a threat to you. He was only ever doing any of this because he cared about me and wanted to help me. I'm the treasonist; he was just doing what I told him to," he said, his voice low and ashamed, which wasn't an act at all. Though his words weren't exactly true, the raw emotion in his voice was very real.

He expected Azula to laugh at him but when he looked up there wasn't an ounce of humor on her face. "Don't insult my intelligence, Zuko," she hissed. "I know that fat old man has been poisoning your brain for years. I know that father got grandfather to revoke his birthright because he would've ruined this nation if he had become Fire Lord. I know he was born weak and unfortunately for you, it's seeped into your very being until you stooped to his level." She leaned down then, until Zuko could feel her breath against his face when she spoke. "But don't sit there and try to defend that worthless piece of filth to me. He will die and you will watch. And then, only after you've seen that, will you be allowed to follow him to the grave." There was a part of Zuko, a large part, that wanted to move away from her, to lean back and look away, but that other small piece forced him to hold his ground, to meet her eyes and before he even really knew what he was doing, he was spitting in her face.

The moment after that seemed to hang, completely suspended in space and time. Zuko kept staring at his sister, not knowing how she would react and for what seemed like a long time, she didn't. She simply held onto her flat stare, pinning him with that careless, stony gaze, his saliva sluggishly dripping down her porcelain face. He tried to swallow past the sudden lump in his throat but only a soft, dry click could be heard.

With a loud crack, the moment was broken. Zuko sat in stunned silence, his right cheek stinging from the contact of her hand and the slice of her nails.

The harsh slap from her heated palm was not what he had expected, but then again, he didn't really know what he _had _expected. Maybe another insult, but in a way, he found this more fitting. For another long moment after that, he simply kept his face turned down and away, not daring to meet her eye.

By the time that moment had passed, she was straightening, rising to glare down at him again. She wiped the spit from her cheek and rubbed it into the stinging cuts on Zuko's face. He tried to turn his face away but there wasn't much place for him to go. Crossing her arms and raising her chin, Azula's cold, heartless eyes never left his face. "You pathetic piece of filth. You disgust me." Through her teeth this time as though any words in relation to Zuko tasted bad and she couldn't stand the feel of them in her mouth.

Zuko raised his eyes upward, but he no longer had the strength for words. Instead, a fiery resentment burned in his gaze as he looked up at her. They stayed like that, in a silent stalemate, for what seemed like eternity. It seemed as though Azula was waiting for him to say something more and she looked nearly disappointed when she realized he had no spiteful, defiant remark for her.

"Don't fret ZuZu, I'll allow you to say goodbye. I know how much Iroh meant to you." The false remorse in her voice didn't fool Zuko in the slightest, and her use of the past tense made him grit his teeth in instantly renewed fury. He knew she was only trying to get a rise out of him. And it was working. "Well, not that this hasn't been fun, but I really must be going. Ruling the world really does require a hefty time commitment." At long last, that terribly smug smirk returned to Azula's features, effectively slicing through the sizzling tension resonating from her. She looked expectantly down at her brother, but when Zuko still gave her nothing but a glare, she scoffed, rolling her eyes at him. "Really, ZuZu. You're so dramatic."

As Azula took a step towards the door, finally making a move to leave, Zuko spoke just a few words, and though they stopped Azula in her tracks, making her turn to look at him, he seemed to be more speaking to himself than to her. "You'll never get away with this. I'll find a way to stop you." His voice was low and deadly, saturated with all the raw pain and anger and hatred that was inside him, full to the brim.

"Tsk..." She turned to face him fully, a petulant look on her face. "How sweet, ZuZu. Let me know how that works out for you. Goodbye Brother." With a delicate knock on the door, the guard outside opened it for her to exit into the blinding light from the hall.

And after the dull, slamming _thud_: "I swear it."

* * *

No one ever talked about how hard prison was. Stories of how all the bad men were locked up and punished for what they'd done, yes, of course Zuko had heard those. And tales of prison fights and skirmishes with the guards. But no one ever mentioned that it was the utter isolation that broke you down. Day after day with no company but four walls and darkness. At the beginning, Zuko had tried everything he could think of to make himself feel less incredibly alone. Shouting, talking to himself, bending, pulling harshly at his chains. None of it worked. He had been foolish enough to heat the chains to see if they would melt, but they got very hot, very quickly and he'd ended up burning his wrists. He tried several more times, hoping to weaken them with each attempt and eventually, with one final harsh tug, they did break from the wall.

This, however, was not as freeing as he imagined it would've been. Now his anger and agitation were free to manifest themselves physically so that he spent most of his hours pacing and shooting enraged flames at the door to his cell. Twice a day, a small slat was opened near the floor and food was slid in. The first few times, he simply left it without even touching it and even now, all he could do was force himself to take a few bites before shoving it away.

It didn't take long for Zuko to realize that no one was ever going to let him out, for any reason at all, not even the most basic ones. And so he'd had to designate a corner to periodically relieve himself. He at one point reflected that earlier in his life, he might've been disgusted or ashamed, but now, after so much, he didn't even have a second thought about it. Nothing was below him anymore.

Insomnia ruled his nights, though he wasn't exactly sure they were nights. In the first few days, he hadn't even tried to sleep, his mind too full of thoughts to even entertain the idea. But eventually, the fatigue had dragged him to the point of involuntary unconsciousness. And so he fell into that sort of pattern, where he spent an extended period of time awake and then by nature, was forced into a few hours of fitful sleep.

But these things, these physical needs and pains and torments, they didn't bother Zuko. He was almost surprised to realize this, but really, he didn't mind the pang of hunger, the burn of thirst, the stench of the room, the sweltering heat that was trapped more every time he tried firebending.

It was the mental torture. Being left alone with his thoughts was eating away at him, allowing him to think of only his mistakes and his guilt. Forced to keep seeing, to keep _feeling_, the horrible moment when Katara's body stopped moving and her eyes glazed over. It was her face and her cry of anguish that woke him from his sleep every time.

And it wasn't even the grief, though that was still just as raw and festering as it was the very moment it happened, but it was the all-consuming _guilt_ that caused him still too often to regurgitate what little he did eat. The sheer _self-loathing_ that came from these thoughts was completely and utterly crippling. There were many times that he found himself hurtling his fist into the stone wall just to feel grounded, to feel the aching, stinging pain bring him back to reality. And maybe, just maybe, he wanted to punish himself as well.

It was on a day like all the others that they came to fetch him. His knuckles were raw and bloody, his chest heaving as he panted from the effort of shouting and beating the stone senseless. His bones could be broken; he didn't know. They sure throbbed like they were broken. But he sat, slumped against the wall, the only thing that provided a somewhat relieving sense of cool. He rested his head back against it, closing his eyes and sighing heavily as he tried to banish all of his thoughts.

Though his thoughts of Katara disappeared with his exertion, as they usually did, the other guilty thoughts came back too soon. The only other thoughts his brain allowed him to have. Thoughts that picked at him just as much as, if not more than, those of Katara.

Thoughts of his uncle.

Uncle Iroh who had been there when no one else had. Uncle Iroh who had loved him unconditionally even when he was so clearly going down the wrong path. Uncle Iroh whom he had never treated as well as he should've. Uncle Iroh whom he never appreciated enough.

Uncle Iroh who was to be executed all because of Zuko's own, miserable failure.

Zuko grit his teeth and pinched his eyes in frustration. Uncle couldn't die because of Zuko's slip-ups. He kept thinking and _thinking_, but he didn't know what to do. But he refused to sit by idly on execution day. There was no way he was going down without a fight. His sister wanted to make an example of him, showed that his spirits and his pride had been crushed, utterly eviscerated. Zuko refused to let her see him like that. He would stand tall with his chin held high, even on his darkest day.

Even though fear tugged at his heart.

He was in this sorry state, knees pulled up, palms over his eyes and fingers tugging at his hair, when the door opened. The protesting squeal was what made him lift his head from his hands and he automatically hissed in regret. The light that flooded in was completely blinding after so long in the dark and in the end, it was the only thing that kept him incapacitated enough to not attack the two guards who pulled him up from the ground.

He faintly heard them saying something about his broken chains, though their voices seemed too loud and foreign to be comprehended. Zuko was brought shakily to his feet and his hands were shackled together by new chains.

Once up, Zuko realized the room was spinning. He hadn't thought that not eating, not sleeping and exerting himself so much had been catching up to him, but really, it had. His head was too light, his brain too fuzzy and his eyes simply refused to adjust to the new light.

After a few long moments, one of the guards spoke again and this time Zuko _could _understand him. "Jeez, this kid is all sorts of messed up." His voice was quiet and not unkind, which was very different from what Zuko had been expecting.

"Eh, he's fine. Let's get moving, punk." Ah, that was more like it. With an accompanying jab between his shoulder blades that had him stumbling forward.

Once out of the cell, Zuko tried to glean information of his surroundings, blinking rapidly in an attempt to get his eyes to adjust more quickly. Finally, he was able to make things out better; he vaguely remembered this place as a child. He had visited the Capitol's prison tower just weeks before he'd been banished.

Licking his chapped lips in an attempt to get his dry mouth to speak, Zuko finally croaked out, "Where are you taking me?"

"We're taking you to see someone," replied the kinder of the guards.

Zuko frowned at that. Who could they possibly be taking him to see? Certainly not Azula; she had already proven that she would just come to his cell. There wasn't anyone else who had the authority to request an audience with him so it had to be something set up by his sister.

Then Zuko's eyes widened in fear. Were the guards simply playing it down? Was it actually _time_ and he was tricked into walking towards his death?

"Who are you taking me to see?" he couldn't help but ask, carefully keeping any wavering doubt out of his voice. Zuko looked to the guard to his left, the gentle one, and he looked as though he wanted to answer, but the other one cut him off before he had the chance.

"Just shut yer trap, kid."

Zuko couldn't help but level a flat, harsh glare at the man, who was rather short and out of shape. "Don't patronize me," Zuko said lowly.

The guard scoffed. "Oh yeah? And why not? You gonna do something about it?" Still, he didn't even give Zuko they decency of being _looked at_, just staring ahead of him like Zuko wasn't even worth a glance. His grip was tight on Zuko's upper arm but Zuko knew that if he wanted to, he could kill this man at his side.

Then there was a brief moment where Zuko was shocked at himself. Kill him? Was that really what all that time alone in that dark, stinking cell had done to him?

But in a flash it was gone. Yes. That's exactly what it had done. Zuko was ready to fight for his freedom, his family, his country.

"I could kill you where you stand without even breaking a sweat," was his only reply, his words much more casual than before.

Then the guard was looking at him, head whipping so fast that it might have been comical in a different situation. "What did you say to me, boy?"

Zuko looked down at him, still amused by his lack of height, with his eyes narrowed. "You heard me."

The guard leaned closer to him, jabbing him in the chest with a pudgy finger. "Listen, _hotshot_, you may have been a Prince, but you ain't no more and I can bend you over my knee and make you howl for mercy if I have to!"

His voice was strong and loud but Zuko saw sweat beading on his face and closer observation revealed that his hands were shaking ever so slightly. He was not only afraid of Zuko. He was _terrified_.

This knowledge made the ex-prince grin, already feeling his chi traveling down his arm and into his fingertips-

"Wait!" And that would be the other guard, grabbing Zuko's shoulder desperately as though he had sensed what Zuko was about to do. Zuko rounded on him then, a snarl on his lips, but he was holding up his hands peacefully. "If you attack him, you won't get to see your uncle."

And if that wasn't the most sobering sentence Zuko had heard in a long time, he didn't know what was. His sneer immediately faded into a calm look. "You had better not be lying to me. For your own sake," was all he said though.

They continued on without another altercation after that. But now that Zuko was left to his own thoughts, he began to feel the stares of the other prisoners as they entered the regular housing area. He kept his own eyes turned toward the ground, not wanting to instigate anything by looking at someone the wrong way.

It was so tempting to look, to acknowledge some of the things being shouted at him, that he finally couldn't resist any longer once they stopped at a door to unlock it and pass through the security there. Zuko met the eyes of one scowling man leaning against the bars of his cell. The man narrowed his eyes and spit at Zuko's feet. Zuko's lip curled as the man said, "Disgrace," and moved away from the bars of the cell.

"Come on," the surly guard quipped, as he was already standing on the other side of the doorway. Zuko bit his tongue as he turned away, led by the kind guard's hand at his back. Zuko swallowed his pride and forced himself not to care. And why _should _he care? That guy was just some dumb, common criminal. He didn't know anything about Zuko or what he'd been through.

Now with the knowledge that it was his uncle he was going to see, the walk seemed agonizingly slow for Zuko, but finally he found himself outside in the courtyard. He hardly remembered this place at all, not finding it very interesting when he'd visited as a child. It was barren and the summer wind blew across the concrete. It was empty save for one man with his back to Zuko and the guards.

Without any hesitation, Zuko moved toward the man, not even sparing a moment to be mildly surprised that the guards allowed him to run off. Even from the back, he would always recognize Iroh. As he drew closer, Uncle stood and smiled brightly at him. "Prince Zuko! You are well after all!"

Zuko hit Uncle at full speed, throwing his shackled hands over his head and around his neck. Iroh stumbled slightly at the force behind it, and maybe, Zuko thought, because he had been surprised. But there was no hesitation as Uncle's arms - unchained, Zuko noted - wrapped around him in return. "Ah, Prince Zuko. I have missed you as well," he said quietly, easily saying the words for Zuko that he couldn't seem to find for himself.

Zuko smiled faintly as he leaned back out of the embrace, unable to keep the corners of his mouth from turning upwards at the sight of his uncle. "Are you okay, Uncle? They didn't hurt you, did they?" he asked, concern layering each of his words.

Uncle gave a hearty chuckle, clapping Zuko on the shoulder with one strong hand. "Oh, nephew, you underestimate me! I am a robust and grappling man! It takes more than a couple guards to tame the Dragon of the West!" He then gestured behind him where a mat was set up with a tea set. "Please, Prince Zuko, sit." For some reason, Zuko couldn't stop the broad grin that spread across his face as he watched Uncle pour tea. It was so refreshing to see him so at ease and - Zuko realized, with sheer surprise - _happy_. Uncle genuinely seemed happy. Maybe he didn't know of the horrible fate that waited for them. Zuko didn't want to bring it up and ruin his Uncle's blissful state of ignorance but he longed terribly for the chance to apologize.

Breaking him out of his thoughts was Uncle's voice: "Here, nephew, have a hot cup of calming, Jasmine tea," Iroh said as poured tea into a cup and handed it to his nephew.

"Thank you, Uncle," Zuko replied, taking a sip. In his more agonizing years of life, Zuko had always hated tea. But as he grew to love his uncle, he grew to love tea as well. And Uncle Iroh made the best tea in all the nations.

Zuko took a deep breath as he set his tea down, thinking of what he wanted to say.

"Ah...something is troubling you, Prince Zuko. What is it?" Iroh asked, sipping his tea leisurely.

Silently cursing his uncle for being able to read him so easily, and then cursing himself for being so easy to read, he shook his head and looked down towards his hands, which were folded in his lap. "I… it's… I don't want to ruin your high spirits, Uncle. I just… I wanted to say… Well, Uncle, I… I'm sorry." Zuko hung his head in shame, unable to meet the eyes of the man he respected more than any other.

"For what, Prince Zuko?" Something in his tone, in the way he said _Prince_ Zuko, was so familiar and warm that a pang hit Zuko in the heart, very hard. His gut clenched and he chewed on his lip.

Finally, he looked up. "We've been sentenced to death, Uncle. For high treason. Azula plans to execute us both." His words were less dramatic than he had imagined them to be, but they were full and layered with a dark, sinister meaning. Then, the dam broke and words flooded out of his mouth before he could stop them. "I'm so sorry, Uncle. I didn't mean for any of this to happen. If I had defeated Azula like I was meant to, we wouldn't be in here and you'd be perfectly safe and -"

Iroh reached across and placed his hand on Zuko's shoulder, effectively halting the endless word vomit. "Zuko… I do not want you to be sorry. I do not blame you for anything. I made my own choices; just as you made yours. I too have been told of our most unfortunate fate, but I will not let that hinder my spirit. And neither should you, Prince Zuko," Uncle said. His words were gentle and kind, as they always were, and though they did little to ease his guilt, they at least made Zuko a little more optimistic. "And I want you to know this: I am so proud of you, Prince Zuko."

Zuko pinched his eyes shut as sadness and regret rose up from the pit of his stomach. Suddenly feeling nauseous, he looked up at his uncle, water filling his eyes. And then he was trapped in the cycle of his guilt again. "But Uncle, if I had just defeated Azula like I was meant to, we wouldn't be here! She should be locked up in here and you and I - we should be working on fixing the world, instead of being hanged for treason!" Zuko was yelling now and he couldn't stop the several tears that began to fall down his face.

"Shh, my nephew, it is alright. Wherever there is bad, good will rise up to conquer it. There is hope for the world yet. I do not fear death, Prince Zuko, and neither should you. We will walk there together and as we are reunited with Lu Ten, I can rest knowing my family is complete," Iroh said, water filling his own eyes as he mentioned his late son.

Zuko wiped his face with the back of one hand and took a deep breath. Uncle always made everything sound better, easier, simpler. "But Uncle, I promised her. I promised Katara I would look out for Aang and Toph and Sokka. If I die, I-I can't keep that promise anymore." He hung his head once more. _And I swore to myself I would save you too, Uncle._

Uncle simply grinned, sipping at his tea. "They are strong, Zuko. They will look out for each other. They are a force of good and you can count on them to not give up on defeating Azula. You must look to the bright possibilities of the future, not the dark regrets of the past."

Such a silly proverb at a time like this forced Zuko to chuckle humorlessly. "I'm supposed to die; how much future can there be?" he said, miserably and with his head hung.

Iroh smiled knowingly. "There is a world of possibilities out there, Prince Zuko; just you wait."

Zuko's head snapped up, looking at Iroh seriously, but his uncle's mischievous smile was carefully hidden behind his teacup and his bright, wise eyes sparkled with secrets.

* * *

The ornate doors in front of him had an odd sort of feeling. Zuko had only been a boy when he last walked through these doors. A boy with bandages over his face and lead in his heart. He had turned and looked back at them as he walked away.

And now he faced them again, with his uncle at his side once more, but this time as a man.

He didn't know how many days it had been since he had first been permitted to see his uncle, and seeing him the second time, today, hadn't exactly had the same overwhelming relief attached to it.

The time between then and now had seemed sluggish, but not as troublesome as before. Zuko had taken much of Uncle's advice and spent his time meditating with his Breath of Fire rather than allowing guilty thoughts and unbridled rage to distract him. It had helped, if only moderately so.

The muffled call of, "Bring out the prisoners!" could be heard through the thick doors and Zuko was jerking back to attention as they swung open before them. The guard behind him gave a nudge in his back and Zuko looked over his shoulder, a snarl on his lips. Only Uncle's shoulder brushing gently against his brought him back to a state of relative calm.

Although the first signs of daylight were just starting to peer out over the mountain, a crowd had already gathered in the commons. It seemed as if the entire Fire Nation had come out to watch. Azula sat cross-legged in her throne, a cold, determined smirk plastered on her face. Ty Lee stood off to the side, biting her nails. Zuko found that his eyes were drawn to the quiet acrobat and it took only a split second for her to realize this and look away. It was obvious to Zuko that she felt guilty for her part in all of this. He almost felt bad for her, but then he thought, let her feel guilty. It was her fault after all and she was a coward for not standing up to Azula.

A coward like the rest of the fools in the square, all cheering and hurtling insults so uproariously that it faded into the background, nothing able to distinguish itself from anything else.

As Zuko walked into the open space beside his uncle, he hung his head. But after a glance at Uncle Iroh, who, unlike his nephew, held his head high with pride, Zuko tried to copy him in a false sense of bravery and honor. Truthfully, he was scared.

As they moved forward, reaching the edge of the platform where Azula's throne was perched, his uncle knelt before Azula but Zuko scoffed as the guard told him to follow suit. Then there was a shove between his shoulders. Zuko turned, a throaty growl coming out of him as he went to strike the guard. But the guard kicked the back of his knee and with a grunt he fell forward onto his hands and knees before his sister. He almost wanted to vomit at the thought of it.

Azula stood, walking to the edge of the platform. She held her chin up, victory radiating from her features. "Hello Brother, Uncle." There was no emotion in her voice, no remorse, no sincerity, not even hatred. Only smugness. Then she turned, addressing the mob, which fell quiet almost immediately as she held up a silencing hand. "Today is a proud day for the Fire Nation. These men have turned their backs on their family, and on all of you. But their treachery will not go unpunished!" Cheering. "I stand here today as your Fire Lord, and it is with great pleasure and a clear conscience that I sentence these men to death."

Zuko gnashed his teeth as the crowd roared their approval. Spineless fools, the whole lot of them. He watched as Azula inclined her head to the guard behind him. He was grabbed by the collar of his shirt and hauled to his feet roughly. He glanced over as his Uncle was helped to his feet and then Zuko received another shove in the back and he turned away after sending a glare at his smug sister over his shoulder. He began walking towards the gallows. He began walking to his death.

That was when the fear really settled in and it struck him suddenly. Zuko was not ready to die. He feared it like nothing else. He wasn't like Aang or his Uncle; he hadn't traveled to the spirit world and seen what it was like. And for all he knew, he hadn't made up for all the terrible things he'd done and he was damned to spend eternity in some torturous fashion.

A new fear hit Zuko hard in the gut, literally. The fear that he might need to stop and vomit. Then he thought what a petty fear that was. So what if his last moments were spent on all fours, spitting his last meal up from his stomach in front of thousands of people? They already thought he was a disgrace.

As he began to sweat with fear, he felt his uncle gently nudge him with his elbow. He looked at Uncle Iroh, expecting to hear some profound words of wisdom, but Uncle said nothing, simply stared up at the sky with a smile on his face. Zuko found this particularly perplexing until it struck him that maybe Uncle wanted him to look up.

And when he did, he had to try _very_ hard to conceal his grin. He pressed his lips together firmly and immediately lowered his head.

They reached the gallows and as Zuko stood before his own noose, he lifted his head, grinning like a madman. He looked directly across the way at his sister, who looked entirely displeased with his smug face. The silence sat, thick and heavy as the guards moved to place the nooses around their necks. His expression must've really been bothering Azula, because she finally said, "What on Earth are you so smiley about, ZuZu?" across the open arena.

But Zuko didn't need to answer as Aang landed on the ground lightly, gracefully even, in the middle of the clearing, a current of air swirling quite majestically around him. Immediately the guards around the edge of the circle, previously only there to keep the eager crowds at bay, rushed forward to attack the Avatar.

Zuko wasted no time, exhaling a careful plume of fire just beneath his chin so that it caught the rope and scorched upward, effectively freeing him as he turned and shouldered the guard behind him heavily, sending him, arms flailing, off the back of the platform.

He spared a glance at Uncle to see that he was managing himself just fine, as he had expected, and then Zuko was leaping off the platform to help Aang as he kept pushing his attackers back.

The three of them ended up back to back, deadly hands held out defensively, unsteady and fearful guards around them in a tentative circle.

"Nice to see you Aang," Zuko said, breath a little ragged from the excitement.

"Yeah, yeah, you too. You don't happen to have a plan for how we get out of this, do you?" he asked, his voice every bit as worried as it should be.

"You're the Avatar; aren't you supposed to figure this out? Where's Appa?" Zuko asked, voice taking on a more gruff tone that was much more characteristic.

Aang sputtered, eyes darting around at the guards cautiously. "I didn't want to get him hurt by bringing him! What about you, Iroh? Aren't you supposed to have some sort of wisdom for us?"

At this, Uncle laughed, actually _laughed _at a time like this, and only when Zuko turned enough to glare at him did he stop. "I don't think a peaceful proverb will be of much help to us here," was all he said in the end.

They stood, bending back the occasional daring burst of fire in their direction until Zuko, from the corner of his eye, saw a blinding flash of blue, and he moved to step in front of Uncle Iroh, bending Azula's fire away at the last second.

And then the two of them were at it again, and the guards more confident now that their opponents had been knocked down to two. This time, however, Zuko knew he couldn't win, not with his hands chained and his horrible fatigue and malnourishment. In moments, he was panting, sweating, trying to keep up with Azula, who kept him running back and forth, desperate to protect both Aang and Uncle when their backs were turned.

It was a moment of utter exhaustion that finally did him in. His form was sloppy and as he moved to avoid one of her attacks, he slipped up, stumbled and ultimately, he fell. Azula had encroached upon his space at this point and once he fell, face first, his hands out in front of him, she wasted no time at all. Before he even had the chance to move, agonizing pain was ripping at hands as his flesh was burned.

Immediately, Zuko pulled his hands inward, cradling them toward his chest as he braced himself on his elbows. He couldn't stop the anguished cries that came out of him until he felt heavy pressure on his calves and a sharp pain in his scalp and he was pulled up to his knees by his hair.

Everything seemed to freeze, then. Both Aang and Uncle stopped, the two of them still fighting back to back, and looked in horror as Azula held tightly to Zuko's hair and in her other hand held a deadly threat, hot and blue in her palm. It was Uncle who immediately held up his hands in surrender, and Aang who still held firmly to his staff.

"It would do you well, Avatar, to stand down, unless you want to see your firebending teacher's blood stain the ground," Azula spoke with a coolness that was every bit as promising as it was threatening.

Zuko grit his teeth, trying to push his chi into his hands, but he grunted in dismay when he realized Azula's attack had done the trick. His burned hands were so excruciating that he couldn't bring himself to bend from them, and his legs were pinned by how Azula stood on top of them.

"Aang, don't you give up for me! Get out of here and take Uncle with you!" Zuko shouted. When Aang made no move to listen to him, he bared his teeth in a snarl. "That's an _order_!"

At long last, Aang moved, relaxing his fighting stance and hanging his head. "I'm sorry, sifou. I can't do that," he said, sounding much older than he was. That didn't make Zuko want to throttle him any less, though.

"Good choice," Azula commented, extinguishing the flame in her palm.

"But I have a deal to make with you Azula," Aang continued, shocking Zuko and, it seemed, everyone else in the crowd as well. "I have your father."

Zuko felt his eyes widen. No way was Azula stupid enough to exchange him for his father. That would be completely idiotic. "Alright, Avatar. You have half an hour to bring me my father. If you fail, they both die."

"And if I'm telling the truth? If I bring Ozai back, you'll let them go free?" Aang asked, raising his head in a display of courage and authority. Zuko was a little surprised to feel a rush of _pride_. He was proud of Aang, really. And that was a thought that was so foreign, but not unwelcome.

"We'll see," was Azula's response, which let Zuko know that she had no intent of doing any such thing and she'd kill them all anyway.

"Don't do it Aang! She's lying! She's never going to let me go! Just get out of here and don't come back!"

"I'm sorry, Zuko. This is something I have to do," Aang said, though he wouldn't look at Zuko as he opened his glider and leapt into the air.

"Coward!" Zuko shouted after him, just out of spite.

* * *

While Aang was gone, there was total silence from the crowd. No one dared to speak, most hardly even dared to move, other than Zuko himself as he hurled a long string of insults at his sister. He forced himself not to wince as his hands were cinched painfully behind his back and his ankles bound tightly as well.

Azula didn't even look at him, just kept her eyes trained carefully on the sky, even as Zuko spat in her direction just before one of the guard's tied a cloth around his mouth. He bit down on it angrily, almost choking on it, and then turned to glare fire at the guard responsible. The man beat a hasty retreat, leaving Zuko next to his uncle, who was incapacitated in a similar manner. They had been deemed too dangerous to be left in a dignified manner while awaiting the Avatar's return.

"If you had just played nice, we wouldn't have to do this," is what Azula had said, still not even sparing him a glance.

It didn't take Aang as long as Azula had given him; he was back in nearly half the time. Something that Zuko was, on the one hand, grateful for and, on the other, wanted to strangle him for.

He came down just as gracefully as he had the first time, despite the second mass he was carrying. Ozai looked a little worse for wear, totally unconscious, the kingly state of his robes in complete disarray and bruises scattered over his pale skin.

Zuko had never seen his father look so weak, so helpless. And he had never enjoyed looking at his father more.

"Alright, I brought you Ozai. Now let Zuko and Iroh go," Aang said, his voice resonating with the power and authority he had come to adopt as he grew into a fully recognized Avatar. Zuko looked hesitantly at Azula. There was no way this was that easy, not when Azula's in charge.

"Let the old man go," was what she said at last and Zuko's heart soared with relief. He tried to stifle that feeling, push it down and back until he knew for sure she meant it. And chances were, she didn't.

He looked to Uncle as one of the guards hauled him to his feet. As his bonds were undone, Azula fisted Zuko's hair again. "Any funny business and he dies. Got it?" she said. Zuko met Iroh's eyes, which were filled with sadness.

Then Azula addressed the crowd. "Make a path. No one is to touch him as he passes. He will be allowed peacefully outside the city limits." People actually booed her then, voicing their disapproval. "Past that, he's on his own. From this day forward, General Iroh, you have been banished from the Fire Nation and its colonies." The crowd then cheered, but it was Aang whose voice reigned supreme.

"What about Zuko?" There was an unprecedented anger in his voice, a clenching of his fists that spoke of how willing he was to fight again.

But at this point Zuko wasn't paying attention to Aang anymore. He simply watched as Uncle turned his back and began to walk across the clearing. The guards had made a path in the crowd, holding them back and away. As he crossed the open square, Zuko could hear him.

"_Leaves from the vine, falling so slow. Like fragile, tiny shells, drifting in the foam._"

"Please, Avatar. The Great Phoenix King for the Once-Great Dragon of the West. I'll give you that. That's a fair trade. But to give you the only threat to my throne, the fallen prince of the Fire Nation. Well, that's a hefty price," Azula was saying.

"_Little soldier boy says, 'Carry me home.'_"

Zuko tried to call out to his uncle, but the cloth clamped between his teeth muffled it so much that he didn't think Iroh even heard him.

"_Sleeping soldier boy is carried home._"

And then he had disappeared down the hill and Zuko was closing his eyes and praying to Agni that he would stay safe, that he would get to see him again.

Finally, he returned his attention to Aang, who had a determined look on his face. Uh-oh. Zuko hated that look. Aang only got that look when he was about to do something that everyone else would say no to, when he was about to do something incredibly stupid.

And before he even opened his mouth, Zuko was shaking his head. "Me. Take me then. I'll surrender if you spare his life. You'll be free to rule however you wish without me to stop you," he said. Zuko was shouting as best he could, not even caring that he couldn't articulate because he knew that Aang knew what he was trying to say.

Beside him, Azula grinned. "Now that, Avatar, is a good trade. Take his staff and tie him up; take him to solitary." Aang handed over his staff and held his hands behind his back obediently. Zuko thrashed his head until finally the cloth came free of his mouth.

"Aang, what are you _doing_?! For someone with a thousand life times of wisdom, you're pretty stupid!" he shouted.

Aang didn't seem offended in the slightest, which was almost worse. "I'm not sorry, Zuko. This is just something I have to do."

"Take this filth back to its cell as well. I can't stand to look at it," Azula said, letting go of Zuko's hair with a shove that had him falling forward onto his face without his hands to catch him.

"Wait! You said you'd let him go!" Aang called, now squirming as the guards held onto him.

"No, Avatar. I said I'd spare his life. You should really work on your bargaining skills. They're not very good." Aang opened his mouth to argue, but a cloth was wrapped around it quickly.

Zuko had no other choice than to let himself be lifted and carried back inside. As they passed through the doors, he met Aang's gaze across the way. Shame filled the young boy's eyes and Zuko felt guilty for making Aang feel that way. It really was just a vicious cycle.

Just before the doors closed, Zuko heard Azula again, "Bring the my father to the infirmary. And ready the rhinos. I want a search party out by dusk to find and kill General Iroh."


	3. Chapter 3 - Burned Bridges

Another edited chapter! Make sure you reread this one too as the character dynamics here are much more prominent than before. Thanks for sticking with me through this guys!

**Chapter:** Three  
**Title:** Burned Bridges  
**Rating:** M  
**Warning:** Rated a tentative M for coarse language and depictions of violence.  
**Chapter Summary:** The siblings both receive blasts from the past as they chat with a couple old...acquaintances.  
**Word Count:** 7,491

* * *

Azula sat back in her chair, letting her hair fall over the cushion behind her head as the Royal Hair Combers set to work on raking through her dark locks.

Fire Lord Azula was feeling rather relaxed. It really was good to be the Queen. The Avatar was captured, her uncle banished, her brother locked away licking his wounds. It was nice to know there was no one out there who dared to stand against her. At least no one who had a chance.

Really, she hadn't even been thinking much about the three of them, idiots that they were, thinking they could all escape and live happily ever after. Oh, no. Azula was much too smart to be taken down by a little boy, a lazy old man and her completely incompetent brother.

Although the fact that Iroh had yet to be recaptured was a nuisance to her, it didn't eat up much of her thoughts. In fact, what she thought most about was her father.

He was still unconscious, lying in the infirmary with nurses waiting on him hand and foot. He was a useless mess, something Azula had no use for and therefore could not be bothered by.

As the days passed and her father still didn't wake, Azula grew into her power quite well. The Capitol was being cleaned-up, everything that had been destroyed in the battle was being reconstructed. There were no riots or rebellions. Her people threw parades and festivals in her honor to celebrate the defeat of her treacherous brother and the surrender of the mighty Avatar. Things were going exactly as planned.

She was basking in this feeling as the Royal Hair Combers carefully worked at her beautiful tresses and it was amidst this feeling that a soft, hesitant knock came at the door. Azula didn't even have time to be annoyed before she heard Ty Lee's gentle, nervous voice come from the other side.

"Azula?" she called, muffled by the thickness of the doors. "It's me." Azula rolled her eyes at the introduction. On the one hand, it was ridiculous. Obviously Azula knew Ty Lee's voice by now. And on the other hand, it was equally ridiculous, as 'it's me' didn't exactly clarify anything in the first place.

"Enter," was all she said in response though, projecting her voice so it would travel across the room and through the doors.

It took longer than it should have after that for Ty Lee to enter and Azula could only assume it was due to a certain amount of mental preparation. The timid acrobat entered with her head purposefully low and her hands clasped in front of her. When she stood before Azula, she bowed formally, deeply, for long moments before rising. She did not raise her head, however.

Azula was amused by the show of submission, a smirk toying at the edges of her lips. Not only was Ty Lee scared of her, but now she was hiding something. Something that Azula planned to coax out of her. It shouldn't take long.

Before Ty Lee had the chance to speak, Azula beat her to it, closing her eyes and relaxing into her hair-combing as she casually said, "So where have you been?"

A distinct pause. Ah, so she had been prancing about, off somewhere she didn't want Azula knowing of.

"A-Actually, Azula, I…" She stopped, staring intently at her feet as though they were much more interesting than they actually were, and then started again. "Well, that's what I came to talk to you about." Azula opened one eye and raised one eyebrow. The pause grew too long and then Ty Lee peeked up to catch this expression on Azula's face before looking quickly back down. "Well, you see, I just came back from the prison tower, because I was… Well, I was visiting wi-"

"You were _what_?" Azula's voice was cold and low and deadly, too quiet for the amount of anger that clearly seethed within it. She sat up then, waving the Hair Combers away. The two women scurried out of the room as quickly as possible and Ty Lee glanced after them worriedly, now very obviously terrified of the anger present in Azula's stance as she stalked toward her smaller friend.

Ty Lee held up her hands in defense, shrinking away from Azula, taking hesitant steps backward, her eyes wide with fear. "Azula, please, just hear me out!"

Azula quickened her pace then, until Ty Lee's back was pressed tightly against the wall, trying to melt into it as much as possible. "And _why_ should I do _that_?" Azula snapped, slapping her palm against the wall beside Ty Lee's head to make her point. Ty Lee turned her face away and pinched her eyes shut. It was clear to Azula that her point had been made; Ty Lee was frightened and that had been her intention. Now that she had gotten that out of the way, Azula's posture shifted slightly, still domineering, but less aggressive and threatening. "Alright then, you little minx. Let me hear your defense."

Ty Lee tentatively opened her eyes to look at Azula and she seemed to relax a little. "Well, I was talking with Mai-"

"The _traitor_ who should be hanged, yes, continue."

Ty Lee frowned at that but continued on anyway. "Well, I was talking with her and she says that she's been thinking a lot about the choices she made and she's realized how bad of a mistake she made. She wants to see you," Ty Lee said, her voice softening at the end, knowing how big of a favor she was daring to ask.

Azula scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Why? So she can attempt to kill me again?"

Ty Lee's eyebrows furrowed at that and she reached forward to touch the forearm at Azula's side gently. "She made a mistake 'Zula. People do foolish things for the ones they love," she said quietly, looking up, now completely unafraid to meet Azula's eyes.

Azula, startled by the contact, moved her hand casually to her hip in an effort to keep a sense of distance between her and the acrobat. She even pushed away from the wall, taking a step back to own her own space once more. "If Mai thinks she loves my brother, she belongs in a cell," Azula said, though her tone wasn't mean. This actually made Ty Lee giggle a little bit until Azula glared at her. "If she thinks she loves him, then how can I trust her?"

Ty Lee's face reflected that she knew exactly where Azula was coming from and she was saddened that she understood. "I know, Azula… Just, please come and talk to her. I'm not asking for anything else, just a conversation. Please." The second 'please' was added hastily, almost as an afterthought.

Azula looked at her carefully, Ty Lee, still standing, leaning against the wall, hands clasped in front of her, eyebrows tilted up and lower lip turned down in a slightly pouty expression. Her clothing had changed, Azula noted. She no longer wore her pink, acrobatic clothes, but instead the black and dark red with gold trim of a Fire Nation officer. It was different, but not unattractive.

"Kneel and ask me again," Azula commanded, her voice resonating with an authority that was unquestioned.

If Ty Lee was taken off guard by the order, she certainly didn't show it. Simply, with no finesse or flair, she moved away from the wall, sank to her knees and bowed deeply, her palms and forehead on the floor as she spoke again. "Please, Azula, come and talk to Mai with me."

"Start over and show me the respect I deserve when you address me," Azula said, though her voice was not harsh or unkind, just matter-of-fact.

"Please, Fire Lord Azula, come to the prison tower to speak with Mai," Ty Lee corrected, never raising her head or even budging an inch.

Azula let that linger for a moment longer, just admiring the view of Ty Lee kneeling before her. Finally, she broke the thick silence with a reluctant acceptance. "Fine."

Ty Lee lifted her head excitedly, a broad smile already claiming the lower half of her face. Azula sent her a harsh glare that was meant to sour her cheery mood, but now that her wish had been granted, it seemed nothing could contain the acrobat's bubbly giddiness. Ty Lee jumped up lithely and through her arms around Azula, who was surprised by her friend's bold move.

Azula didn't budge as Ty Lee's slim arms wrapped around her neck and her toned body pressed up against her. She simply stood with her hands on her hips, about to make some cruel remark. But it suddenly felt so...nice to be held by someone, by Ty Lee, that Azula allowed herself to relax the tension in her shoulders, if only minutely.

But then the moment was shattered as the door flew open. Scrambling, Azula shoved Ty Lee away from her, a little roughly. A muffled noise of surprise and light pain came from Ty Lee as she stumbled back away from Azula and turned to look at the man who had barged in unannounced.

It was a high-ranking guard whose name Azula could not remember and did not care to. She was extremely displeased at her chambers being entered without express permission. More so because she had been seen in what she considered a vulnerable state.

"Fire Lord Azula!" the man gasped, panting as he tried to catch his breath. He didn't even have the decency to sound nervous.

"Whatever you have to say had better be very important," she said, her voice dripping with venomous threat. "Unless you want to see the melted skin of your face dripping to the floor." The guard's eyes widened then and Azula watched his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed thickly. "I suggest you speak quickly."

"Uh…" Azula could see the sweat beading at his temples and running down his face, fear gripping him tight in her clutches. "There is an, um, _issue_ that requires your immediate attention." At this, Azula simply held an open flame in the palm of her hand. "I-It's your brother!" he added quickly. "He's making quite a scene. It's becoming a problem that none of the guards can handle safely."

Hmph. Safety. Azula didn't particularly care about a silly thing like safety, but that was neither here nor there. Letting the flame in her hand grow for a moment, she revelled in the sight of the guard's eyes widening in fear, his entire body tensing. And then she clenched her hand into a fist, extinguishing the flame. When he let out a sigh of relief, it was completely visible.

"Ty Lee, head to the prison tower and make sure everything is arranged for my visit later. I will handle ZuZu and meet you there once he is properly...punished," she said, her eyes narrowing as an idea crept into her mind.

"What are you going to do?" Ty Lee asked tentatively, biting her lip.

Azula grinned. "Oh, I have a little present in mind for him. Now hurry and go, Ty Lee," she said, only the slightest bit of impatience creeping into her voice.

Ty Lee bowed quickly, giving a rushed, "Yes, Fire Lord Azula," before prancing past the guard and out the door. The guard turned to follow her in a hasty retreat but he halted in his tracks as Azula cleared her throat loudly.

She stalked closer to him and then pinned him with her harsh, cold stare. He didn't dare meet her eye as she spoke. "I do not like being interrupted without giving my express permission," was all she said before she grabbed his fingers and bent them back quickly, giving a savage twist and grinning when she heard the satisfying crack.

The man dropped to his knees in pain as he shouted and she stepped past him. "You'll do well to remember that next time. I assure you, I only have mercy once."

* * *

"I have a job for you."

The man Azula was addressing lay lounging on a chaise, hands folded behind his head and legs crossed at the ankles, staring up at the ceiling. "Oh yeah?" he drawled, not looking at her.

"It seems that my brother is causing a disturbance. I want you to put him in his place."

A short, forced breath managed past his teeth now, something not unlike laughter. "Why don't you just do it?" He picked at the furniture beneath him until he came up with a small feather, as though it had been a thorn in his side. He stared at it now, twirling it between his fingers.

"I have a feeling he's become immune to my tortures. Besides, I don't mind watching."

"Do you have any preference how?" One arched eyebrow moved upward as his dark eyes finally found their way to Azula. It was odd, the way this man carried himself, Azula noted. He had avoided looking at her, but not out of fear like everyone else. Out of arrogance. Pride.

"Oh, I have a few ideas."

* * *

Zuko grit his teeth as he growled through them, nearly _snarling_ at the guards as they pulled tightly on the chains shackled around his wrists, which were now raw and bloody from their rough treatment. It was by these chains that the guards dragged him from the prison tower now, having placed him in shackles after what they continually referred to as "The Incident." Zuko had laughed in their faces when he realized they were all afraid to come too close to him.

He said as much now, barking out insults. "Chain me up so I don't burn your face off, huh?!" he called. "Yeah, you're lucky I'm feeling generous because these chains really aren't stopping me. I could do it if I wanted to!" And those words came from his teeth, the air shaped into an almost-grin that was completely and utterly mad.

Frankly, Zuko was a bit off his rocker.

But not without good reason. After "execution day" Zuko had been brought back to his cell and beaten for daring to fight for his life. And then he'd been malnourished and dehydrated in the following days. During that time, all he thought about was Iroh.

"_Ready the rhinos. I want a search party out by dusk to find and kill General Iroh."_

Again, his uncle was on his own, dealing with things he shouldn't have to, and again, it could've all been avoided if Zuko had defeated Azula and claimed the throne.

It was this thought that Zuko held in his mind constantly until one day, he finally snapped. And he snapped in a way that made him lash out and become totally violent.

"_I want a search party out by dusk to find and kill General Iroh."_

It wasn't so much that he _wanted _to hurt someone, but he felt like he _needed _to. So at night, when the guard opened the slat in the bottom of the cell to slide in his food, he kicked his leg forward, shooting fire through the opening to burn the man's hand.

The following shout of agony had been extremely satisfying.

There was a scramble after that. More guards appeared and they opened the door to beat him back into submission, but he was in a particularly sour mood and instead, he ended up catching one of the guards full in the face when he redirected someone else's fire.

"_Find and kill General Iroh."_

They had all scampered off at that point, to find his sister, he assumed. As he sat alone in the dark, he didn't laugh or smirk or mentally congratulate himself.

He hung his head in shame when he realized how disappointed Uncle would be.

Zuko didn't _want _to hurt anyone, but it was getting to the point where he didn't know what else to _do._

"_Kill General Iroh."_

And then those words, those vicious _words_, came back into his head and burned away the guilt. All he could hear was her voice, too proud of herself and not at all remorseful. And he found that if he imagined all of those guards were _her, _then he didn't feel bad at all.

And so that's what he did.

He continued to do so now, as they dragged him through the halls, trying to ignore his untamed tongue. "What, you guys all ran off to _tell on me_ and now the Big Bad Fire Lord is gonna put me in time out?! Hah!" His voice echoed off the walls and the other prisoners shouted things at Zuko that he couldn't be bothered to hear over his own voice. At one point, one of the guards looked as though he were going to say something, maybe tell Zuko to _shut up_, but after the look Zuko sent him, he seemed to think better of it and change his mind.

After the long journey, Zuko found himself out in the Square, outside the palace. It was clear that he was a little worse for wear. His arms and face were bruised from where the guards beat him, his blood was drying around his wrists from the chains, but worst of all was the gauntness of his cheeks and the dark circles under his eyes.

As he entered the Square, he could hear the passersby:

"That's Prince Zuko!"

"I wonder what they're gonna do to the traitor."

"Look at him. If only he were more like his sister."

And it was _that. _That hushed whisper of the greatest insult that someone probably didn't even have the guts to say to his _face_, that had his teeth on edge and his jaw completely locked in pure, unadulterated fury.

Stumbling, he was brought to a post in the middle of the Square as people began to form a loose sort of circle around him. It was there that more chains were clamped around his forearms before the old ones were removed. He gave an experimental tug on what tethered him to the post, but they didn't budge even a bit, just jangled loudly in the silence of the air.

The sound of fabric ripping reached his ears and then the warm breeze caressed his bare back, his shirt now hanging open behind him and dangling from his shoulders. He grimaced at this but bit his tongue as the guards beat a hasty retreat.

Zuko looked around, spotting no one who held any particular authority and found that he was actually annoyed by this. They drag him all the way out here and then just _leave_ him here? Why, so the crowds could mock and ridicule him? They had to know that wouldn't affect him. He didn't care what these people thought. They were all idiots.

No, he was here to be punished and Azula was keeping him waiting simply because she knew, somehow she _knew_, it would bother him. He clenched his teeth at that thought, wanting to see her just so he could spit words back at her, to hurt her in any way possible. As he stood, he thought about what he would say. And with this new thought in mind, this thread of fury and hatred, he could be patient.

Silence fell over the crowd as they waited.

* * *

It seemed as though hours had passed since Zuko had been chained to this post. Then again, his sense of time had been horribly skewed ever since he'd been jailed. Maybe it was only minutes. All he knew at the moment was that he was going to have an ugly sunburn or tan line from the way his shirt was hanging open and that was extremely irksome.

Finally, the silence was broken by the heavy sound of the palace doors opening. Zuko glanced over his shoulder to see four men carrying the palanquin that no doubt held his sister. He grimaced at this, though he was glad to have the waiting come to an end.

Zuko turned away from her once again as she stepped out of her palanquin and onto the platform where her throne rested. He didn't even look back at her as she began to speak to the hushed crowd.

"Citizens of the Fire Nation," - and Zuko _hated _how clear and calm her voice sounded, how totally at ease and born to speak, to _rule_, she was - "Your fallen Prince has been extremely hostile toward the kind guards that feed him," - his teeth made a sickening noise as they gnashed together inside his skull - "He has attacked these men. _Burned _them. Men with families. Wives. Children. Innocent men who serve you and your nation. We are here today to remind the fallen Prince of his place. We shall remind him how to respect those loyal to the Fire Nation and he will learn that this behavior will not be tolerated. His misdemeanors will not go unpunished!" Her voice rang out, steady and calm, though with an energy that sparked the crowd to life as they cheered their approval.

Next, Zuko listened carefully behind him, still not wanting to dignify his sister by looking at her. He heard another pair of feet hit the platform and he turned quickly to see that a man had leapt up beside her, clearly not bothering to use the few stairs. His back was turned toward Zuko and with his neck craned at such an awkward angle, he had no idea who this man was or even his rank. He could only make out a flash of burnt orange and a piece of navy blue.

Zuko watched as Azula fashioned a small, metal handle from the sash around her waist and then, with a flick of her wrist, blue flame shot from it and extended to form a crackling whip. She held out the handle to the man and after a moment of hesitation he took it from her, his entire body obviously tense.

"For his brutal retaliation against our hard-working men, I hereby sentence '_Prince_' Zuko to twenty lashes."

It was then that Zuko turned away again, resting his forehead against the wood in what could be interpreted as silent prayer. He had known it was going to be bad, but even his horrible imagination hadn't supplied him with _this._

The crowd cheered even louder than before at this but stopped suddenly and Zuko could only assume the man had stepped off the platform as he could now hear quiet, light footsteps coming his way.

Zuko didn't raise his head or turn to look at the man; he didn't care who he was, probably some guard or another of Azula's sycophantic dogs. It didn't matter. Whoever he was, Zuko would take his punishment without complaint and with his head held high.

He had braced himself for the first lash of pain, knowing it would be the worst, but as the moment stretched onward, it never came. Instead, he felt warm metal under his chin, turning his face up. As he opened his eyes, he realized the man had used the handle of the whip to force him into looking up.

Defiant, gold eyes rose to meet the dark, patronizing gaze of the man standing over him. That defiance vanished immediately as complete and utter _shock_ overcame Zuko. He _recognized _this man. This man who stood before him, bringing with him so many memories and so much baggage.

"..._Jet_?" he found himself saying, his voice rendered soft and weak by how surprised he was. If he guessed for his entire lifetime who he would've seen when he looked up, he _never _would have come up with Jet's name.

Jet simply smirked and let his hand, still clutching the heated metal of the handle, fall back to his side. He didn't move back, staying too close to Zuko and occupying his space, and even that was so strikingly _familiar_ that Zuko couldn't even be discomforted by it. "Fancy meeting you here, _Li_," he said, his tone mocking and almost something akin to offended. And that _voice _\- oh, how that voice had tormented Zuko's nightmares.

"_You don't understand! They're Fire Nation! You have to believe me!"_

Zuko could still clearly picture his face as he shouted those words, the Dai Lee agents dragging him away. The crazed look in his eyes spoke of how much, how _badly_, he hated the Fire Nation, how awry he'd gone when he tried to walk the righteous path.

It haunted him, knowing how his life of lies put Jet in chains, taking off and never to be seen again, or so Zuko thought. He had often stayed up late into the night, hands folded across his abdomen, wondering what had happened to Jet.

It took long moments for Zuko to come back to himself as he realized Jet was waiting for him to say something. What did Jet want him to say? In the end, all he came up with was, "What _happened_ to you?" And Zuko himself was surprised at how genuinely concerned he sounded.

Jet apparently didn't buy it as he snorted loudly, the sound almost animalistic. "You don't fucking _care _what I went through. I'm not going to stand here and try to fucking _explain_ things to you. Things you can't understand. Long story short, I'm now living in a palace, being treated like royalty. I have to say I did something right." His tone was completely phony and the look in his eyes spoke of something so dark and locked away that Zuko actually _didn't _want to know.

"Jet, you have to understand what you're doing. You're living in the _Fire Nation_, working for the _Fire Lord_. This goes against everything you ever said you were fighting for!" Zuko's voice had risen above their quiet conversation, which caused the crowd to start murmuring suspiciously about the small bit of information they'd been given about the mysterious man in the Square.

Jet's teeth clenched into that all-too-familiar sneer that often captured his face. "You don't know anything," he spat, words coming harsh and deadly from behind his teeth, lips stripped away from them into a viciously snarl. "Don't fucking stand there and pretend like you know me. You have no idea what you're talking about."

Zuko's gut clenched at those words. Something wasn't right. As crazy as Jet was, had always been, this wasn't Jet. "Yes, I do. I _know you_, Jet, and this isn't you," he said, quietly again, carefully keeping all of the onlookers out of the conversation. "You're an outcast, like me. And us outcasts have to stick together." His words had the intended effect; Jet actually stepped backward at that, his face falling and releasing all tension, almost as if that was the _last_ thing he had expected Zuko to say. "Right?" he added, hoping to get some response, some semblence of _Jet_, the _real_ Jet.

But in a moment, that vulnerable look on his face was gone, lips peeled back again and eyebrows drawn harshly down in a terrible glare. "Shut up!" he growled, back away from Zuko quickly. "Just _shut up_!"

And then Zuko did have reason to brace himself as the crack of flame sounded with Jet's arm pulling the whip back and launching it forward.

The pain was nearly unbearable, just as Zuko had imagined it would be, and it immediately sent all other thoughts of Jet scampering from his mind. It was all he could do to clench his teeth and wall up the sound behind it that was trying desperately to escape.

The second time was just as bad, Zuko's entire body lurching forward from the force and his knees shaking from the raw pain. He tried to focus on something else and his brain latched onto the only sound he could hear: Jet's harsh breath and the small grunts he let out as he threw the whip forward over and over.

Zuko had lost count by the time Azula finally spoke again. "Jet, count out loud."

Zuko focused even harder on Jet's breathing, trying to match his own, shallow breaths to it just as a distraction. When the next blinding flare of pain came, Jet said, "Seven." Zuko would've guessed a much higher number than that, but he supposed that was just him hoping.

On the next lash, the whip tore at his already horribly abused flesh and a small grunt passed between the fallen prince's lips as he dropped to his knees, his arms trembling with the effort of trying to keep himself up. His forehead, beaded with sweat, rested against the post and his eyes remained tightly shut. "Eight."

And then Jet was _shouting_, flinging words at him across the way and all Zuko could think was, _Why? Why are you doing this?_ "My life went to _shit_ because of you!" _Crack! Nine._ "Fucking firebenders. I was right! I was _right _and they believed _you_! They believed a firebender over one of their own people!" _Crack! Crack! Ten. Eleven._

Zuko didn't say anything back to Jet. On the one hand, he knew he couldn't unclench his teeth without shouting in pain and he _refused_ to give any of them that satisfaction; and on the other hand, how could he say anything back? Where would he even start? He didn't have any words for the former Freedom Fighter.

Minutes passed that seemed like years. Zuko could tell Jet was tiring from the effort, taking longer pauses between lashes, but it didn't matter. They all hurt just the same. The pain was so powerful that Zuko might have been coming in and out of consciousness but he couldn't exactly tell. As he heard Jet yell, "Fifteen!" his eyes snapped open again and finally, after so long, a strangled cry of pain ripped its way from his chest.

That broke the silence of the crowd as they roared and cheered at seeing him finally broken. Zuko couldn't help but hang his head in shame. The worst sound was of Azula's condescending laughter, so faint, not rambunctious at all, but still all too clear in his ears.

More minutes ticked by and Zuko kept himself busy with staring at his own blood, which was dripping on the concrete beneath his knees. He found himself wondering how much skin he had left, what he'd look like when it all scarred.

Scarred. Another mark that branded him, just like the one on his face. Failure. Disgrace. Dishonorable.

_No,_ he thought. He wouldn't let Azula, or his father, dictate who he was. These scars made him who he was. Someone who was fighting for what was _right_ and not allowing himself to be dragged along into the mess of bad that surrounded him.

Unlike Jet. Jet who had been dragged down so far. Jet who had doubled his efforts and lost sight of his goal. Jet who had ended up in the exact position he had never wanted to be in.

And Zuko still couldn't figure out how. Katara had told him of what had happened under Lake Laogai, about how Jet had _died_ after breaking free of the Dai Lee's brainwashing and attacking Long Feng, but nothing could explain how he'd gotten _here_, very much not dead and very much not Jet, working as his sister's dog-monkey.

"Nineteen!" Zuko clenched his teeth again, but it honestly felt somewhat numb at this point. "I've spent so many months hating you. And finally, I can exact my revenge. You deserve this, you lying piece of shit," Jet snarled, his voice low as he spoke between his ragged breaths, the strenuous nature of his task finally seeming to catch up with him.

The crowd had died down until silence fell again and Zuko had to wonder why. He had the sudden and striking urge to turn and look at Jet, to see why they had all hushed. He stifled this urge, knowing how poor of an idea that would be, knowing how Jet would react and not wanting to push him.

"You took everything from me." Jet's voice had dropped into a low, flat tone that cut through the air separating them and stuck into Zuko like the pointed quill of a boar-q-pine. Guilt hit him so hard at that moment that he almost lost his breath. Jet was right. Of course he was right. But there was nothing he could do about it now. Jet had been ruined by Azula and it was all Zuko's fault. There wasn't any going back. "Twenty."

Zuko hung his head further and didn't even bother to keep his mouth shut as the last torturous lash cut through him. His throat raw and his voice hoarse, he took several breaths, as deep as he could without hurting himself, before he spoke. When he did, his voice was broken and filled with remorse and sadness. "I'm sorry." It was soft and he wasn't even sure if Jet had heard him. He coughed a few times, spitting on the ground before trying again. His voice found some volume but was still void of any stability. "I'm sorry, Jet," he said, voice still cracking.

When Zuko finally looked over his shoulder again, he found himself staring at Jet's back. He could see the tense grip he had on the handle and he was even close enough to see the sweat making a trail down the taut cords of his neck. Jet was completely rigid and frozen in place. Even without seeing his face, Zuko could sense the turmoil that churned inside of him.

Like a python-lizard, Jet turned and Zuko's eyes widened in fear. He screamed as the whip tore through him once more.

Afterwards, Jet's breath sounded even heavier than Zuko's, almost sickly as they both tried to swallow more air. Zuko didn't dare to look at Jet, even as he said, "That one was for me." Then Zuko heard his light, graceful footsteps as he walked back to Azula's platform, followed by the clang of metal. Zuko assumed Jet had dropped the handle at his sister's feet with all the eloquence and finesse he possessed.

Then more of Jet's footsteps, his long gait leading him quickly and easily away, accompanied by the cheers of the crowd. Those idiots didn't even know who they were cheering for, just a dumb, Earth Kingdom peasant.

Zuko was shocked at that thought and cursed himself silently for it as he heard the palace doors open and close once again, swallowing Jet up.

And then it was over.

Finally, Azula spoke again, but she sounded terribly dismissive. "Leave him there awhile longer. He could do with a little more humiliation."

The crowd cheered as she exited as well, and then Zuko was left, kneeling before the post, body shaking with pain. "I'm sorry," he whispered once more. There were a lot of things for him to be sorry for. He was sorry for what happened to Jet, for Aang's imprisonment and even Mai, for Uncle's banishment, for this continuing war and still, even now, especially for Katara's death. But the longer he knelt there, his back stinging and his entire body sore, even though he knew it was selfish, he mostly felt sorry for himself.

* * *

As Azula strode confidently through the entrance of the prison tower, her personal guards trailing behind her, she had a mostly blank expression on her face, but if one looked carefully, one could find a hint of satisfaction.

She'd hardly made it down half a hallway before Ty Lee came barreling towards her, a disgustingly dopey grin spread across her lips. "Azu-!" Ty Lee caught herself at Azula's sharp look. She settled down quickly, coming to a stop and clasping her hands in front of her. She bowed and said, "Welcome, Fire Lord Azula. Everything has been prepared for your visit. If you'll please follow me."

Azula waved her guards away and then followed as Ty Lee began walking. After the guards were out of earshot, Azula spoke harshly. "If you keep slipping up, Ty Lee, I'm going to have to punish you. I cannot let disrespect, even accidental, go unpunished."

Ty Lee's clear excitement seemed to dull a little at that, the bounce in her step vanishing as she hung her head in shame. "I know Azula. I'm sorry. I'm trying very hard. It's just-"

"I know," Azula interrupted, her voice kinder than usual.

It was at that time they reached the door to the sitting room. It wasn't customary for prisoners to be allowed into this room, but Mai had been deemed a low-risk prisoner and Azula didn't want to spend any time standing in a dark, musty cell. From what she'd heard, Mai hadn't been staying in one of those either. Her father, the Governor of New Ozai, had given a generous donation to the Crown to make sure Mai stayed there comfortably. It was all politics and bribery, things Azula was accustomed to and handled well.

Without knocking, Ty Lee held the door open for Azula. When the Fire Lord entered the room, Mai, who had been seated looking out the large window, hurried to her feet with more haste than Azula had seen in her before. Then she bowed formally, deeply and said in that bored, monotonous voice Azula remembered so well, "Greetings, Fire Lord Azula. Thank you for coming." Then she straightened and faced Ty Lee. She bowed to her as well, but noticeably less than she had to Azula, which was smart on her part, Azula thought. "Thank you, Ty Lee, for arranging this meeting."

Ty Lee grinned happily. "Of course!" she said in that high, sugar plum voice of hers.

Cutting straight to the point, Azula interjected. "Yes, very well. Now hurry and say what you have to say. There are many places I need to be and many things I need to do; I certainly don't have all day to waste on a traitor."

Azula could see how Mai recoiled at that, hanging her head and wringing her fingers together. It was apparent that she didn't know how to begin and she was searching desperately for the right words. So Azula simply waited, crossing her arms over her chest in a show of impatience.

Mai took a deep breath and then finally began. "I know what I did was wrong, Azula. But I hope you'll understand that people sometimes get confused by what they're feeling and they let that affect how they think. And those people make mistakes," she was speaking slowly, as if she were choosing each word before uttering it. "I'm one of those people. I made one of those mistakes. But I've come to an important realization." It was now that she raised her head and Azula looked at her, _really_ looked at her. Frankly, she wouldn't have recognized her if she didn't know it was her, not in her prison uniform and her hair tied back into a loose ponytail. "I've had a lot of time to think about this and I know now that I deserted my country when they needed me most. I see now that my job was to help Zuko to realize he was wrong and come back to us. I failed in that. I failed him. I failed you. I failed the Fire Nation."

Azula stared at her for long moments after that. "Yes, you were a complete failure, weren't you? I must admit I had no idea what you were thinking. You had to know you were picking the losing side when you chose my fumbling brother over me."

"I was foolish. I thought I was in love. I understand now that was only an illusion in the mind of a hormonal teenage girl."

Azula narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. Mai was being very correct with her responses, saying everything she knew Azula would want to hear. But was it the truth? Azula had always learned not to trust anyone. Why? Well, if she herself could lie through her teeth at any second, what was stopping anyone else?

Azula chanced a glance at Ty Lee and instantly regretted it. The acrobat had this terribly, childishly hopeful look on her face, like she was waiting for Azula's word and it would crush her if it wasn't the word she wanted to hear. And Azula knew that to be true. If Azula didn't forgive Mai, pardon her and spare her from execution, Ty Lee would be absolutely devastated and in that state, she was no use to Azula.

"Alright. I'll allow you a second chance to prove yourself to me. You're to stay in the palace and be monitored by guards who will report to me each day. You'll have no interaction with my brother and no formal duties. You'll simply have to exist here and prove that you can be trusted be I allow you to do anything worthwhile or useful." Mai's head had snapped up again, in complete and utter surprise. She really seemed as though she hadn't expected Azula to forgive her at all. "Which of course means you'll be costing the Fire Nation quite a bit of money, just living in the palace and eating. So make yourself useful in some way while you're there, yes?"

Mai was struck speechless for a moment. "Y-Yes. Of course. Thank you, Fire Lord Azula," she said quietly, bowing deeply once again.

Not a moment after she straightened, Ty Lee was throwing her arms around Mai's neck, hugging her tightly. "Oh, I'm so happy you'll be living with us Mai! I told you she'd forgive you, didn't I?" she said, clearly ecstatic. She held Mai at arm's length for a moment so she could beam brightly at her and then she turned and launched herself at Azula. "And thank you Azula! This means so much! It'll be so great to all be together again!"

Azula mechanically pushed Ty Lee away. "Yes, yes, it's all terribly exciting. Ty Lee, go to the Warden and tell him I've cleared Mai's release. Then bring her back to the palace and assign two men to be her personal guards who will report back to me. Can you manage all this?" Azula inquired, raising a skeptical brow.

"Of course!" Ty Lee said, smiling confidently. "Don't worry, Azula. I've got it all covered."

"Good. And do be quick about it. You have other duties that need your attention as well," Azula added before turning to leave the room. Mai called out another 'thank you' but Azula simply waved it away.

Azula left the prison tower, her personal guards joining her at the main entrance, and headed back to the palace. How interesting it was to have Mai out of prison. And even more interesting yet was that Ty Lee had wanted it so desperately. Azula couldn't help but wonder if the two of them were up to something, Mai especially. Ty Lee was a hit or miss; she could easily be completely naive to whatever secrets Mai was hiding and her simply want her friend back. She was so juvenile in that way.

The Fire Lord would be keeping a sharp eye on both of them, indeed.


	4. Chapter 4 - Outcasts

Back again! I understand that some people hate Jet (just in the show in general) and I totally understand after that chapter but he has a very special place carved out in my heart and with this chapter, hopefully I'm illuminating some of his better qualities.

**Chapter:** Four  
**Title:** Outcasts  
**Rating:** M  
**Warning:** This one has also changed drastically, but not in the sense of storyline but the rating has gone up because there is now adult themes and sexual content (between two males). However, this chapter is mainly flashback and you can actually skip this chapter and not miss anything in the actual plot, if that's your prerogative.  
**Chapter Summary:** A glimpse into the past, to Zuko's first encounter with the infamous Freedom Fighter.  
**Word Count:** 6,342

* * *

Zuko had lost track of time. All he knew was the sweltering heat of the sun beating down on him and the ache that throbbed through his entire body. His knees were sore from the stone beneath them, his back stung from the sweat seeping into his open wounds, his head swam from the pain as he came in and out of consciousness. He couldn't focus on anything in the physical world, because if he did, he'd be focusing on the pain and that was too unbearable to focus on.

Both his waking moments and his blackouts were filled with images of the same thing.

Jet.

He didn't know what to make of his own thoughts but he knew that the people that passed who beat him and spit on him weren't enough of a distraction to stop his spiraling train of thought. He wanted to hate himself for thinking so much of Jet. Jet who had whipped him mercilessly in front of his own, cheering people. Jet who followed Azula's orders like some mindless puppet. Jet who he thought he knew.

Zuko was lost in a time that seemed like a lifetime ago.

* * *

_If Uncle's sideways comment about second chances wasn't meant for Zuko, then feather him and call him a sparrowkeet. But Zuko only spared him the smallest of glances before turning back to the boy who sat beside him, the boy who called himself Jet. It had been peculiar, how they had met, in Zuko's mind. He hadn't asked for Jet to interrupt his conversation with his uncle and even less so had he asked to be forced by his uncle's friendliness to dine with him. He still didn't like being around him. Jet made Zuko uncomfortable. Uncomfortable because Jet was one of those people who had a certain air about him. A quiet arrogance that said,_ Fuck you world. I am the king_. It was a grace, of sorts. A swagger. A calm defiance radiated from him, something totally and completely rebellious in nature. And that was unpredictable. And unpredictable meant dangerous._

_He didn't like the way Jet stared at him either. Jet had these eyes, eyes that were dark and communicated far too much for Zuko's liking. Zuko constantly felt those eyes on him, almost as if he were being stripped bare, not of his clothing, but of all his lies and secrets, as if Jet were looking past all of that to look at him, the _real_ him. And that was just about as terrifying a thought as any he had ever had._

_In return, he tried to keep his gaze away from Jet, as if not seeing him staring would make Zuko more at ease. Of course, he'd been wrong about that. He still felt just as uncomfortable and shifted anxiously as he felt Jet's eyes on him throughout the entirety of their meal, peeking across at him from over the edge of his bowl. Zuko had the sense that he was hiding a smirk behind there and for some reason, that pricked at the banished prince, getting under his skin until he was about ready to explode in annoyance._

_In the end, Zuko hadn't deemed his uncle's comment worthy of a response. Jet, on the other hand, seemed unable to let the silence take over and said, "Thanks Mushi. That means a lot. What about you guys?" he asked casually. "What're your plans for when we reach the big city?"_

_It wasn't an unexpected question, but still, it was a question that neither Zuko nor Uncle had a great answer for. "Just, uh, find a place to stay. And a job." It was Zuko who came up with something quicker, surprised at himself for being able to say it with relative ease and sincerity. It wasn't exactly a lie either. What else _could_ they do? In Ba Sing Se, there would be poor, hungry people everywhere. There was no Avatar to chase, no Azula to run from, no Fire Nation soldiers to avoid. They'd simply have to _live_. And for some reason, Zuko found himself _hating_ that thought._

_"Nephew, you should eat your dinner," Uncle said then, finally taking note that Zuko wasn't really eating much of anything at all. Occasionally, he'd glare at his food, but the evil eye did little to fill his empty stomach._

_He did as much now, scowling down at the contents of the bowl with bitter contempt. It was Jet's voice, coated in what could only be amusement, that made him lift his head again. "Glaring at it won't make it taste any better, you know." And then that smug smirk was plastered back on his face as he lifted his own bowl to his lips once more._

_Zuko turned his scowl on Jet now, probably too aggressive for the teasing comment. "Yeah, and who asked you?" he bit sharply. Jet raised a brow at him now, but to Zuko's surprise and almost-disappointment, he didn't look offended at all. In fact, he somehow managed to look even more amused. And that was something that was beginning to get on Zuko's nerves. Everything was just a big joke to this guy._

_Jet held his hands up in mock surrender. "Just a joke; lighten up, Li," he said, reaching over to clap Zuko on the shoulder. Zuko tensed under the touch but Jet didn't seem even the slightest bit discouraged as he left his hand on Zuko's shoulder a moment too long, patting his back once before finally withdrawing his hand._

_And _that_ was another thing entirely. Jet _touched_ him, infuriatingly so. Right now, Zuko could feel the warmth of Jet's thigh pressed casually against his own. There was no need for them to be seated so close together as there was plenty of room, but this is where Jet had chosen to sit and Zuko, in all his stubbornness, had refused to budge. Jet was one of those people who seemed to have no regard for anyone else's personal space and so often throughout the day, Zuko had found himself desperately wanting to step back and away from Jet's own body heat, but not daring to do so out of fear of looking weak. It was a _challenge_ to Zuko, whether Jet meant it to be or not, though the more time Zuko spent around him, the more it _did_ seem to be intentional, as if Jet was testing him._

_Uncle, pouring himself another cup of tea, chimed in then with, "So Jet, where are you from?" Zuko could've killed him for being so stupid. The likelihood of Jet returning the question was very high and Zuko had no clue what his answer would be. Fine then, he thought, let Uncle answer when the time came. If he got himself into the mess, he should be able to get himself out._

_Jet took another sidelong glance at Zuko and smirked - which was something Zuko was puzzled by, and even could have punched him for - before dragging his eyes away to look at Iroh. "I come from a small village called Hiroshi. It was in a valley in the woods. The Fire Nation… They took over in the valley. Me and my Freedom Fighters moved to the forest nearby and started fighting back. But Hiroshi… Well, it's gone now," he said, a strange tone creeping into his voice. Zuko thought he may have sounded guilty underneath his sadness but he couldn't tell for sure as Jet stared at the deck between the three of them. "And so me and Smellerbee and Longshot decided to come to Ba Sing Se so we could start fresh. We want to help with the war somewhere that it'll actually matter," he finished. When he picked his head up, his confident grin had resumed its place on his lips and the mischievous glint came back into his eyes with just a blink._

_Interesting, that was. For someone who seemed so sure-footed and self-righteous, Zuko now caught a tinge of remorse or regret. But just as soon as it came, it was gone again and Zuko was left to wonder whether he hadn't imagined it in the first place. "I'm sure you'll find your way. Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself," Uncle said, smiling behind his teacup. "You're already very far ahead of the rest of the world."_

_Jet found something amusing in Uncle's words, something Zuko himself obviously failed to see, and chuckled lightly. "Thanks Mushi. I'll remember that one." There was a thick, pregnant pause, though the silence wasn't exactly uncomfortable, just a shared quiet between three thoughtful men. Before Jet spoke again, he moved the piece of wheat in his mouth to the other side, flashing his teeth in a growing smile. The movement drew Zuko's attention to it and while he wanted to question why it was always there, he could only find himself wondering how Jet managed to eat without removing it. "What about you guys?" he asked, not bothering with a spoon and slurping straight from the bowl in his hand._

_There it was. The return of the question that Zuko had been expecting. Zuko looked to Uncle Iroh, calmly challenging the man to answer the question. For his part, Uncle seemed to take the challenge fairly graciously and only hesitated for a moment before saying, "We're from Omashu."_

_Jet seemed to accept this response, despite how Zuko's stomach was doing a somersault. Zuko didn't know a _thing_ about Omashu except that it had recently been taken over by the Fire Nation. As Jet nodded, he asked, "So why'd you leave? I mean, I know it's occupied by Fire Nation forces now, so what? You just couldn't stand it there anymore?" His question seemed more serious now, as if he were waiting for an answer, but waiting for what he deemed to be the _right_ answer._

_Zuko's brow knit as he tried to think of the correct response and finally he said, "We had a run-in with some of the soldiers and it didn't go too well so now we're kind of, uh...wanted."_

_At this Jet seemed to relax, as if the tension in his body melted away. Good then, Zuko thought, his answer must've been deemed acceptable. When he looked up again, Jet was looking into his eyes seriously. "I'm sorry to hear that, Li. I understand how you feel." His tone was thick and Zuko was surprised that the genuineness was almost enough to make Zuko feel guilty about his lie._

_Zuko continued to stare into Jet's dark, sympathetic eyes until Jet placed a rough, calloused hand on his knee. Zuko flinched slightly and looked down at his hand before looking back up to glare at him. But he didn't. Because Jet's smile had turned away from the cocky smirk and became a soft upturning of his lips._

_"Thanks," Zuko said quietly. He felt a blush rise to his cheeks and he turned his face away as he cleared his throat nervously. He didn't have to look at Iroh to know he was smiling behind the rim of his teacup. He would grumble at his uncle but he didn't want to draw any more attention to the redness on his face than he needed to._

_At this, Jet was grinning again, which Zuko was puzzled by and then he thought that Jet's following cough was probably a device used to cover a laugh. Jet graciously removed his hand to keep from embarrassing poor "Li" any further and Zuko silently thanked the spirits for that._

_Several moments passed as silence fell between the three men. Zuko noted it still wasn't an uncomfortable silence. In fact, he was almost relieved that the conversation had ceased for now. Soon after though, Uncle stood with a slight grunt. "My old bones grow weary as night approaches. It was an honor to meet and dine with you, Jet," he said as he bowed and smiled at Jet. He then turned to Zuko with a large smile. "Goodnight, nephew."_

_Zuko mumbled a response, not looking at his uncle's dopey grin. Jet, on the other hand, was much more polite. "The pleasure was all mine, Mushi. Have a restful night," he said around that charming grin._

_After Uncle had gone, Zuko looked down at the nearly empty bowl in his hands. If the silence wasn't uncomfortable before, it had certainly become so. He shifted anxiously, now feeling even more ridiculous in his proximity to Jet as there was no logical reason for it. However, it didn't take long for Jet to speak. "Your uncle is a good man," he said._

_Zuko didn't look up from the remains of his dinner. "Yeah," he mumbled, "I guess you could say that."_

_"So," Jet began conversationally, "where'd you learn to use those swords?" It was a question that Zuko really hadn't been expecting, but now that it'd been posed, he actually wasn't as surprised by it as he thought he would be._

_Rubbing the back of his neck absently, he struggled to come up with an authentic response. "I, uh, had a good teacher back home. My uncle and I...well, we weren't so pressed for money as we are now. Master Fung taught me the way of the swords," he said, not unconvincingly. It wasn't true, of course. Master Piandao had taught him the way of the sword just as his uncle had taught him firebending, but both were things that he dare not mention now. Jet nodded, seeming to take his response in stride, but before he could comment, Zuko shifted the subject, desperate to talk about anything other than himself or his past. "And what about you? Those are some very nice hooks. Who taught you how to use those?"_

_Jet paused at this for a moment and looked away from Zuko. It was clear he was looking back on a specific memory, one that it seemed he wasn't going to share with Zuko. "Pop was a weaponsmith and he made them for my mom. She died just after I was born so when I grew up, Pop gave 'em to me. He's the one that taught me how to use 'em too." At this, he ran his hands over the worn handles of his shang gou, smiling softly as he looked down at them._

_When Jet looked back up, the sense of pride and smugness was quieted in his eyes. "The way Pop talked about my mom… I just wish I could've met her, y'know? I heard she was a great warrior, took out almost a whole battalion before she went down." And Zuko couldn't stop his eyebrows from raising in surprise at that. An entire battalion? As things went, that was very impressive. "Pop was a great warrior too and it was him who taught my Dad how to fight." Those words confused Zuko even more. Jet just mentioned "Dad" but hadn't he just called his father "Pop"? Maybe a grandfather then? Zuko couldn't bring himself to ask._

_"What about you?"_

_There were those dreaded words again and suddenly, Zuko regretted letting himself be roped into this conversation in the first place. "What do you mean?" he asked Jet, though he was really only stalling._

_"Your parents. What happened to them? You said you were living with your uncle in Omashu, right?" And worst of all was how Jet's tone denoted nothing but innocence. It wasn't an interrogation, just a genuine curiosity._

_"My father...I haven't seen him in years. We're not exactly on good terms. And my mother…" He paused then. His mother was a subject he stayed away from at all times. It had always been too painful to think about, much less speak of. But he found that looking at Jet, he could manage it. "I don't know where she is. Or what happened to her."_

_In hindsight, Zuko shouldn't have been startled by the touch on his shoulder, but of course, he was. But Jet's soothing hand didn't bother him nearly as much as it once would've. "I'm sorry, Li. That must be hard. At least for me, I know who killed my family and who to hate for it. But not knowing? I don't know how well I'd handle that," Jet said, shaking his head. "You're tough. I like that about you."_

_To that, Zuko had no answer at all. But Jet didn't seem to mind that. In fact, he seemed totally at ease as he leaned back and rested his hands behind him to support his weight._

_Long minutes passed this way, Zuko's back still ramrod straight as he sat beside Jet, who was much more relaxed. Zuko could feel Jet looking at him, but instead, Zuko chose to look out over the fairly calm waters, listening carefully to the waves against the side of the ship._

_Finally, Jet said, "We should get some rest before we raid the captain's quarters later. Try to get some sleep Li." His voice was low and almost velvetine, something smooth like silk that slithered through the air to reach Zuko. And with it, Zuko found himself laying down where he was and folding his hands over his stomach, settling in to sleep, instead of scurrying off to find where his uncle had hunkered down._

_From the corner of his eye, he watched Jet, expecting him to lay beside him, but as the moments passed, Jet seemed perfectly content just letting the wind tousle his hair and nibbling at the end of the piece of wheat in his mouth. As the minutes wore on, Zuko's eyelids felt heavier and heavier and he only forced them to stay open long enough to see Jet take the piece of wheat from his lips and hold it between two fingers. Jet watched it carefully as the night wind carried it away and then hung his head._

_And then Zuko was asleep._

* * *

_It was later - after Jet had woken him in the middle of the night so they could rummage around like common thieves, smuggling out as much food as possible - that Zuko found himself at the railing of the ferry once more. The sun had long since slipped behind the horizon and the night breeze had become frigid and chilled. Almost subconsciously, he found himself thinking about what it'd be like when they reached the city. He began to ask himself questions. What next? What about the Avatar? What about Azula and Father? What am I going to do? And most importantly, how am I going to get home now?_

_If he hadn't been so lost in thought, he probably would've felt the stare on his back much sooner, but as it was, he simply tensed, settled his features into something hard and unyielding, and still didn't even turn to acknowledge Jet._

_Eventually, he heard Jet's footsteps and then felt the pressure of his shoulder against Zuko's own as he settled in to lean against the railing beside him. This only made Zuko even more rigid as he turned to glare at Jet. _What is this guy's problem?_ Zuko thought. It frustrated him, the ease with which Jet stepped into his space and the calm way he stayed there, even when it was clear that Zuko wanted to maim him for it._

_"Isn't it a little cold out here to be up this late?" Jet asked conversationally, making no move to distance himself, despite Zuko's pointed look._

_A scowl settled into Zuko's brow. "I don't get cold very easily," he grumbled bitterly in response. He watched Jet's cheeks dimple as he chuckled at that and this only made his frown deepen. What could he always be laughing at? Zuko didn't find nearly as much humor in life as Jet seemed to._

_"Yeah, I suspect you wouldn't," was all he said and that in itself was particularly confusing to Zuko. Jet didn't know anything about him so how could he suspect anything?_

_"Well, what about you?" Zuko found his mouth moving on its own, without really asking permission from his brain. "Why are you out here then?" He looked away from Jet then, back out to the dark, restless sea._

_From the corner of his eye, he could see Jet hang his head and rub the back of his neck with one hand sheepishly. "I, uh...couldn't sleep," he said quietly, and it seemed as though that, for the first time since Zuko had met him, he'd managed to take Jet off guard and he was actually at a loss for words._

_Zuko was so surprised at this that his bitter attitude melted away a little bit and again before he could stop himself, he was saying, "Nightmares?" Jet's shock then would've been comical if the mood wasn't so serious. His head snapped up as he turned to look at Zuko, his eyes were wide and he opened his mouth quickly as if he were going to say something, to deny it in some way as if it were an accusation rather than simply what it was. But before he could squeeze out a word, Zuko cut him off. "Yeah. Me too," he said. There was no drama in his tone, no anger or even sadness, just plain, bare simplicity. It was what it was._

_This admission seemed to catch Jet off guard even more than it did Zuko. It wasn't as though Zuko had ever said anything like that to anyone else and he frankly had no idea what possessed him to say it now. It wasn't in his nature to sympathize or offer any sort of personal information of himself that showed weakness. He was raised to hide all weakness, cover it with strength, ferocity and power. It was a vulnerable sort of state that he'd put himself in, but he found that he wasn't exactly discomforted by it._

_That probably had a lot to do with the fact that Jet didn't press him on his statement. There were no intrigued questions, no pressing inquiries. Rather, his shocked expression turned back into that lackadaisical grin and he looked at Zuko only a moment longer before looking out over the sea._

_They stood in silence a moment longer and Zuko found himself thinking of the great wall, what it would be like to lay his eyes upon it, and then he thought beyond that, what it would look like past the wall, the sprawling metropolis that was Ba Sing Se. He tried to imagine it and found that he was at a loss; he had no idea what to expect. That thought was just as exhilarating as it was terrifying._

_Zuko had almost forgotten Jet was beside him, the warmth of his shoulder and the steady sound of his breath having faded into a surreal background, something so constant and comforting that it wasn't necessary to think about. But when Jet moved, pushed away from the railing to stand up straight, Zuko's attention was drawn to him all over again._

_When he looked over at Jet, Zuko's brow furrowed in puzzlement. He had twisted himself at an impossible angle and appeared to be attempting to look at his lower back. Zuko found his eyes drawn to the emphasized line of Jet's shoulders. Jet was bony and wiry, yes, as most refugees were, but there was something distinctly masculine about the way he was built, something that spoke of rippling, lean muscle beneath his tanned skin. After a moment, it became apparent that Jet was fiddling with the buckles on the straps of his armor, trying to pull them free from each other._

_Zuko watched him for awhile, content to observe the way his shoulder blades shifted with each of his movements. Only when Jet swore harshly under his breath did Zuko catch himself in his own thoughts. Never before had he spent so much time staring at someone else. A light blush found its way onto his face and he willed it away, even as he stepped over to Jet._

_Honestly, Zuko didn't have a clue as to what outside force moved his body to stand beside, because it certainly wasn't a conscious decision. But before he knew it, Zuko was smacking Jet's hands away from the buckles and replacing them with his own. He didn't bother looking at Jet's face to see his reaction, but he could all but feel it as that damned smirk stretched lazily across Jet's face._

_Zuko scrutinized the buckles for a long moment. His armor was clearly made in the Earth Kingdom and it wasn't top-of-the-line either so it wasn't like anything Zuko had seen or had any experience with. But Zuko was nothing if not determined so he set to work on the rebellious buckles. The entire process was only made more difficult by the fact that they were tied on improperly and a bit tangled._

_As Zuko succeeded with the one he was on and then moved around to the side a bit to begin work on one of Jet's shoulder plate straps, he regretted his decision getting this close to Jet. Zuko himself was radiating awkward tension but Jet on the other hand had a sense of unabashed amusement roiling off of him. The normally chatty freedom fighter seemed content to let the silence sit now and for once, Zuko wished he wouldn't._

_With a frustrated sigh at the buckles under his fumbling fingertips, Zuko broke the silence himself. "Who put this on you?" he grumbled, clearly becoming steadfastly exasperated._

_Jet shrugged then, which made Zuko glare at him for jostling his working hands, but that didn't discourage Jet as he grinned back at Zuko. "I did," he responded coolly._

_Of course he had. At that, Zuko could only roll his eyes. "Well, you did it wrong."_

_Jet laughed then, more fully and openly than he had before. Zuko didn't think he had made a joke, but with Jet, it seemed he didn't know much of anything anyway. "Hey, if it stays on and protects me then I'm doing okay, right?" he said, still chuckling._

_"Yeah, but now it's a whole process to get the stupid thing off," Zuko countered, hunching over his work for a moment. Finally, he finished with that buckle as well and once he had, he realized just how close his bowed head was to Jet's own. He met Jet's eyes for only a moment before hastily looking away and then moving to walk in front of Jet to the other side of him._

_He didn't get very far, though, before Jet reached out and took hold of Zuko by his arms. Zuko immediately tensed and went to pull away but it was the calm, gentle way Jet said, "Li," that held him in place. Jet's voice was uncharacteristically soft as he questioned him, "Have you ever worn armor? Because I can tell you this: when you gotta put it on, you just put it on. There's no time to think about how you're gonna take it off later." Jet's eyes burned with something akin to nostalgia then and Zuko found himself following that path, recalling the countless times he himself was saved by his own armor in the heat of battle._

_But in the end, Zuko didn't answer. He simply shrugged Jet's hands away and moved around to Jet's left side. He could feel Jet's eyes on him, heavier now than they had been before. It was this weight that made his fingers numb and clumsy as he struggled with the final buckle. Once it came loose, Zuko's breath came loose with it, all of it coming out at once in a long, harsh exhale that he hadn't even been aware he'd been holding. Gingerly, Zuko lifted Jet's armor over his head, still not looking at him as Jet lifted his arms so Zuko could fully remove the rugged, dusty plates._

_"There," Zuko said, unsure of what else to say as he turned his head down and away from Jet, frowning deeply._

_It was only when Jet's arm moved again that Zuko realized just how close he was standing to the other boy. He could feel the heat coming from Jet's body, a stark contrast to the chill of the night breeze that seemed so tempting to gravitate toward. Once again, Zuko was shocked at his own thoughts. The smirk had faded from Jet's lips, Zuko could tell from the corner of his eye, as he raised one hand - slowly, as if trying not to spook a skittish ostrich-horse, and giving Zuko plenty of time to pull away - and cupped Zuko's jaw, effectively tilting his head back up._

_Zuko jerked away, dropping Jet's armor to the deck in sheer startlement, but Jet's grip firmed and held Zuko mostly in place. When Jet took a half-step forward, bringing them even more impossibly close, Zuko nearly panicked. The rough, calloused pad of Jet's thumb moved upward over Zuko's cheek, until it was ghosting gently over the sensitive edge of his scar. For a moment, Zuko was lost in Jet's eyes, which were surprisingly focused on his own, rather than the marred skin beneath his thumb._

_But in a moment, it was shattered as Zuko pulled abruptly away, leaning back on his heels and grabbing Jet's wrist roughly. "What are you doing?" he demanded, nearly shouting in his frenzied panic._

_Jet's eyebrows tilted up in a sheepish expression, his eyes only slightly wide in stupefication. He only returned Zuko's stare, not appearing fazed even in the slightest. He simply raised his other hand, laying it over Zuko's and pulling gently until Zuko let go of his wrist. That was when their gaze finally broke, Zuko looking down and away again. "I'm sorry," Jet said, low and quiet. Zuko could tell he wasn't apologizing for touching him; he was apologizing for things he had no knowledge of, things that ran so much deeper than the scarred surface of his skin._

_Zuko took another stumbling step backwards, blindly wanting to distance himself, and he hit the railing before he thought he would and actually momentarily lost his balance. Thankfully, he was coordinated enough to catch and steady himself, but Jet was just as quick, surging forward to steady Zuko with his own sturdy hands. The movement brought Jet all too close again and in an instant, his breath was in Zuko's ear, warm in its proximity. "There," he murmured softly. "Safe."_

_Zuko wanted to push Jet away, tell him that he didn't need saving like some sort of damsel in distress, but all too quickly, Jet's hands were moving again, this time capturing both sides of his face, though notably not touching any part of his scarred flesh this time._

_Zuko didn't even have time to move away again before Jet's lips were covering his own._

_It was something that was entirely bizarre, something that Zuko didn't even have much of a chance to react to, just a warm, damp pressure._

_In mere seconds, he was pushing Jet away from himself, his own eyes wide with shock and confusion. "What are you doing?" he asked again, though this time it was mostly air and completely devoid of any strength or menace._

_Jet's hands never left his face though, even as that smirk returned and he leaned back in. "Don't worry about it, Li. I'm not going to hurt you." And then he was kissing Zuko again, which would never make sense in any world._

That's not what I meant. I_ \- There wasn't even an opportunity for Zuko to get those words out. His startled-open lips shut immediately when Jet's touched them again and the freedom fighter seemed to take this movement as some sort of encouragement, or maybe a bit of a challenge. In the end, it didn't matter which because in his frenzied panic, Zuko found himself returning Jet's kiss in the space of only a few brief moments. To this day, Zuko would never be able to articulate _why_ he'd kissed Jet back, why he didn't shove him away and draw his swords on him, but maybe it was the idea that someone actually _wanted_ to kiss him that made him submit._

_Jet's lips spread into what could only be that smug, arrogant grin and the feel of it against his lips made Zuko want to _bite_ the sensitive flesh at his mouth, because _what_ on Earth could possibly be so funny in this moment? But of course he didn't, because of course he didn't have any idea what the hell he was doing._

_Jet seemed more than okay with that as his hands became gentler on Zuko's jaw, one moving behind his head to thread its fingers through his hair. The surprising intimacy of that movement would've made Zuko frown had his mouth not been entirely too preoccupied. It was then that Zuko realized his eyes were still wide in shock and something akin to fear and he snapped them shut immediately as if they would help him hide. The fire in his belly crackled to life as discomfort and uncertainty rippled through him._

_He was so unsure of what to do. This, as far as Zuko knew, wasn't something that happened on a normal basis. Strangers don't just _kiss_ people, especially not him. But the longer it went on, Zuko was mortified to find that it became_ uncomfortable,_ less unbelievable. Kissing Jet was nothing like kissing Mai. His lips were rough and slightly chapped, his mouth dominant and nearly oppressive in its force and when a distinct slickness prodded at Zuko's lips, it was more startlement than cooperation that allowed Jet's tongue into his mouth. Zuko was dismayed to find the sensation not entirely unpleasant. He wanted to be disgusted with himself, wanted to gag just at the thought of doing this, but his body had no such reaction, just a cozy warmth, spreading throughout his body._

_When Jet finally pulled away from him, Zuko was at once thankful for the chance to breathe, but suddenly found his own breath deafeningly loud in the quiet night air. Only then did he realize his hands had fisted into Jet's rough tunic, clenching it tightly, not to pull Jet closer and not to push him away, just to cling like a drowning man to a lifeline._

_Jet's mouth traveled then, to his cheek, then his jaw, nipping harshly there and causing Zuko to hiss, then lower, beneath his ear to lay an open-mouthed kiss, then finally to attach itself to his throat. Zuko's eyes fluttered shut, his hands going shakingly limp on Jet's chest and his head lolling to the side of its own accord. It was then that Jet's hands moved, sliding lower, memorizing the contours of Zuko's body until they came to rest on his hips, only to pull them closer to each other._

_It was when Jet's knee found its way between Zuko's thighs and Zuko felt a hard heat against his hip that he became suddenly aware of everything all at once, like being doused in cold water. Jet's hand on his left hip hand moved lower, brushing over Zuko's thigh and in the next moment it was moving_ inward_ and Zuko had to bite his tongue from making a noise that would be horribly embarrassing._

_Zuko had another thought to push Jet away, stumble away from him despite his throbbing erection and not look back. But that thought was extinguished quickly with a swift kiss as Jet reclaimed his mouth and with it, all sense of coherent thought._

_So when Jet's hand found its way to the hem of his pants and then in and under, Zuko's desperate whimper was lost somewhere in Jet's grinning lips. But then there was a warm hand wrapped around his cock and nothing else in the world even mattered, only Jet with his calloused hands and his quick, teasing tongue._

_It wasn't long before Zuko broke his mouth away from Jet's to gasp for breath, his hips jerking into the circle of Jet's grasp. Jet seemed pleased by this - though Zuko was beginning to wonder if he ever seemed_ displeased_ with anything - as his mouth traveled back down over the expanse of Zuko's throat. Then, Zuko's hand was being taken in Jet's and followed the path down his body to the waistband of Jet's own pants. And when Zuko's hand was pulled in and under, it was a thought so foreign to him that he was stunned into cooperation, letting his hand fit around Jet's cock, trapped between the silk hardness and the rough heat of Jet's hand wrapping around his own._

_They worked each other over the space of mere minutes, Jet's hands expertly guiding Zuko to the edge until Zuko had the knuckles of his free hand in his own mouth to keep from crying out in pleasure as it overtook him. His hand on Jet's cock never slowed, mostly due to Jet's own hand, leading the way. But only a moment later, Jet was murmuring shakily into Zuko's jaw words Zuko couldn't comprehend in his ecstatic haze, and then a small, quiet groan was buried in the skin of Zuko's throat as a new slickness covered his hand._

_And then they stood, still tangled in each other, breathing harshly and clinging to one another. Zuko waited for disgust to wash over him, or guilt or even shame, but to his astonishment, it didn't come. The heat of Jet's body so close to him was comforting and when their hands were finally removed from each other's clothing, Jet formulated a rag from somewhere and wiped his hands and then gingerly wiped Zuko's._

_Zuko looked up to meet Jet's eyes to find them hooded and hazy with content. Then, Jet's lips were pressing softly against his and the whole world disappeared._

* * *

But none of that mattered now. Jet was gone.

And Zuko was alone.

* * *

Chapter Four Note: Mention of Jet's Mom, Pop and Dad is the idea that Jet had two gay dads and that comes from a lovely story titled _The Heart May be Tiny but the World's Enormous_ by ladysisyphus on AO3.

General Note: Hey everyone! I know it's been a very long time since I've updated here but I just wanted to post a little something to announce a few things. First, yes, chapter seven is underway. Second, this story will eventually be complete, even if it takes me just short of an eternity. Lastly, (and this is the big one!) I am doing a massive overhaul of this story. The first four chapters have been edited already and I removed chapters 5 and 6 (for everyone who read before and remembers those) so when I post again, those will be the new versions.

To any newcomers, don't worry about anything! Just follow to be notified of updates! :D

Anyway, thank you for reading! (And sticking with me on this!)

Love always,

UntestedWaters


	5. Chapter 5 - Ties That Bind

It's been forever and a day, but finally the new and improved Chapter 5 is here! Enjoy! :)

**Chapter:** Five  
**Title:** Ties That Bind  
**Rating:** T  
**Warning:** I'm going with a T rating because I think it's just swearing.  
**Chapter Summary:** Zuko gets super popular and has a bunch of visitors.  
**Word Count:** 6,670

* * *

The heels of Azula's boots clicked softly as she walked through the hall of cells to the solitary confinement wing of the prison tower. Ty Lee padded softly behind her, taking up the "personal guard" detail once Azula had gotten utterly bored of the old squadron of elite Fire Nation guards very quickly. "Ty Lee, keep up," she snapped impatiently.

As Azula reached the door to her brother's cell, she waved away the two guards stationed there, guards who had previously held positions in her personal guard. "I wish to speak with my brother. Alone."

"But Fire Lord," one of the guards said, "he is still very unstable. He shouts a lot and we can hear him tugging on his chains. He could snap and attack again at any minute."

Azula's eyes narrowed at the sheer audacity of the man before her. "He's been whipped and beaten and was entirely pathetic even before that. If you seriously doubt my ability to defeat him, you should be exiled from the Fire Nation," she said venomously.

"N-no, Fire Lord Azula. Th-that's not what I meant at all!" he said hastily, trying to hold his rigid guard's stance, though Azula could see the way he trembled.

"Good. Then get out of my way before I show you what I think of people who question my superiority."

"Yes, Your Grace," he said quickly, bowing deeply and stepping to the side. The other guard followed suit and then the two of them were retreating down the hall.

"Ty Lee, stay outside and stand watch," Azula commanded as she opened the hefty metal door to the cell. It fell shut behind her with a loud thud.

In the total darkness, Azula couldn't even make out her brother's form, but she fixed that quickly by lighting the lantern she had brought with her and hanging it on a nail in the wall. The soft glow just barely reached all four walls and the shadows cast on her brother's gaunt face did nothing to help his appearance. He sat, hunched forward away from the wall, hands in his lap though they were shackled again with chains that had been reinforced and replaced after the last incident. The bandages wrapped around him looked dirty at best as sweat and puss and even a little blood had seeped through them. His chest moved quickly with his shallow breaths and he didn't even raise his head as she entered.

Zuko was utterly defeated.

"ZuZu, you don't look so good," she said finally, crossing her arms over her chest. He didn't move an inch, didn't even raise his head to look at her or acknowledge her. A frown tugged at the corners of her lips. She toed at one of his bandaged hands, which rested in his lap. "Where are your manners, _Prince_ Zuko? You can't even say hello?" Still, nothing. Azula began to grit her teeth. How _dare_ he ignore her? "I've taken time out of my busy schedule to come see you and you have nothing to say? Not even a 'thank you'?" She shifted her weight, moving her hands to her hips. Another long moment passed in silence. "After everything I've done to you, you don't have even one hateful remark? I'm disappointed, ZuZu; what happened to that resilient spirit?"

Finally, he took the bait and slowly raised his head. When he spoke at last, his voice was rough and creaky, something dry and broken like leather left out in the sun too long. "I don't have anything to say to you." He paused to cough. "You're not worth it. You're not really worth much of anything actually," he said, struggling to find strength in his voice.

"Oh please, ZuZu, don't be so dramatic. I only came to chat with you. How's my favorite prisoner doing?" Her voice turned faux sweet, sickly in its falseness. But he only answered her with silence once again. So she changed tactics. "You know, people urged me to kill you brother, but where is the fun in that? Crushing your pride has been much more satisfying." He simply stared back at her then and Azula was surprised to find his eyes emptier than she had ever seen them. Zuko had always been an open book, but now, there was no emotion in his face. No anger, no hatred, no fear, just...nothing. And that angered Azula. How could she hurt him if he didn't feel anything? "Well, there was that and admittedly, Zuko...I've realized I just couldn't do it. I couldn't kill you, ZuZu. You're my brother… Uncle, yes, I could've killed him, but that's because he's not like you and me. He doesn't have the divine strength that you have, Zuko. How could I possibly kill my only brother?" she said these words softly, hoping to coax something out of him.

To her dismay, his expression didn't change. Impossible. Zuko had always been a complete sap for the love of his family. A few weeks in prison certainly couldn't change that. But then he was speaking again and his voice adopted this dark, sinister tone that Azula had never heard in him before. "You should've killed me, Azula…" he said slowly. She quirked one eyebrow at this, not expecting that at all. "If you had, you'd be better off." He met her eyes again, and she found a funny look there, something not unlike amusement or maybe smugness.

"And why is that?" she said, making her tone sound disinterested and nonchalant, even though her mind was racing a hundred miles a minute to figure out what he was thinking.

Then he laughed - he actually _laughed_ \- but it was a bitter, unamused sound. "Because I'm going to kill you," he said flatly, a grin twisting into his face.

Now that was not what Azula had been expecting to hear, but it did make her chuckle at herself as there was really nothing to be worried about in the first place. "Is that so? And how do you plan on doing that exactly?" Her smirk was a calmer, tamer version of his as she turned her attention to her nails to examine them.

"I haven't decided yet," he said, his voice still clinging to that dark tone. "But I know it'll be extremely painful for you, sister dearest." He spit those last words out at her, glaring up from where he sat on the cold stone floor.

"Looking forward to it, brother," she sneered. Then, she let out a lofty sigh, looking up at the ceiling dramatically. "Too bad you'll be in here for the rest of your useless, miserable life."

"Whatever you say Azula," he responded coolly and Azula wanted to burn the smug grin off his ugly face.

Her voice was quick and sharp when she spoke again. "I would be much more gracious if I were you. I gave you your life. I had enough compassion to let a sorry waste of space like you keep drawing breath and I _still_ haven't heard a 'thank you.'" Then the silence returned and he simply stared up at her. She gnashed her teeth together and her lips pulled back into a snarl. "You pathetic little wretch. I came here to offer you something, actually, but after your disrespect, you can forget it," she snapped harshly, losing control of her temper slightly.

Azula was enraged to see her brother's expression remain unchanging. He simply shrugged, not even wincing at the movement of his tormented back, and said, "I wasn't too fond of your last gift so I think I'll pass."

"Oh? I thought you'd appreciate having a chance to see Jet. I mean, he was your...intimate friend, wasn't he?" Azula hedged.

And finally - _finally_ \- Zuko's hardened expression cracked. His lips twisted into a scowling frown, his brow drawn in anger. "Don't talk to me about Jet," he said lowly, the words coming out bitterly, forced between his clenched teeth. Azula grinned at this, relishing in the feel of regaining the upper hand.

Azula rolled her eyes dramatically. "Oh please, ZuZu. Don't worry, no one will learn of your indiscretion. And no one would blame you. When you're living like a peasant, it's only natural to stoop to the lowest of their practices," she said, flipping her hair haughtily.

At this, Zuko _snarled_ with rage, lurching forward until the chains held him back, only mere inches from her. Azula didn't even bat a lash, simply grinned down at him with amusement twinkling in her eyes. "You don't know _anything_ about those people! You have no idea what they go through, what _Jet _has gone through!" he shouted.

"I don't need to, Zuko. This is where you've never understood. Those people are weak. They're savages. In school, they always taught us that the world needed the Fire Nation to strengthen them, to share our greatest and wealth and to teach the other nations." At her words, Zuko seemed to take a breath, calming himself a little. Good, Azula thought, relax. Because her next words were the real kicker. "But I know that's not true. We need to _crush _them. Once the other nations are gone, the Fire Nation will be free to expand and flourish like it was always meant to. The Air Nomads were pathetic and they're gone. The Water Tribe will fall next and after that, I'll burn the Earth Kingdom to the ground." The horrified look on Zuko's face was well worth it.

She expected him to shout at her again, attempt to tell her how wrong she was with his silly beliefs, but then, his eyes shifted and he looked past Azula, toward the door. Azula quickly stifled the urge to follow his line of sight.

"Ty Lee!" he yelled at the door.

"What are you doing?" Azula snapped. "Stop that."

"Ty Lee, I know you're out there!" he continued, blatantly ignoring Azula's orders. "Ty Lee, you know this is wrong! You're fighting for someone who wants to _burn the world to the ground_! Do you understand what you're _doing_?! All of this is _your fault_ Ty Lee! If not for you, Aang and I would be working to fix the world and you could've helped us, but because of you, the world is going to go up in flames!" His anger rose with each word, spit flying from his mouth as he shouted. Azula glanced over her shoulder frantically, listening for any sort of response from Ty Lee. And Zuko was relentless. "I hope you get what's coming to you! You're going to-"

"Stop it!" Azula shrieked. "_Shut up!_" She kicked the heel of her boot forward, catching Zuko full in the face with a vicious kick. A startled, strangled noise came from him as he fell back onto his elbows, blood spraying from his nose. But then he laughed. He was _laughing_! "Why are you laughing?!" Azula demanded, stepping over him to pull him up by his hair to look at her. "You think this is _funny_?!"

He continued laughing and when he grinned at her, his teeth were stained red. "Are you planning on telling anyone about _your_ indiscretion?" he said, so quietly that Azula was almost unsure she had heard him correctly.

Her eyes widened at this and then she shoved away from him, tossing him carelessly onto his back. He groaned in pain as she stepped away from him, backing slowly toward the door. "You're a fool, Zuko, and you'll rot in here until the day you die!" she shouted, turning toward the door. Before she opened it, though, she turned back. "I hope you enjoy your own company," she hissed menacingly, pinning him with a flat, hard stare.

His face didn't change at all as he looked at her. There was no regret, no disappointment, not even hope. Gritting her teeth, Azula spun on her heel and flung the cell door open.

She marched off down the hall with her teeth and fists clenched, and if she pretended not to see Ty Lee wiping at her face with one sleeve before following after her, well then maybe that was okay.

* * *

Azula's visit began a long, painful week for Zuko. He was seen by a nurse twice a day to have his bandages changed and to check the mobility of his hands but that wasn't so bad. The nurse's name was Ki; she was a middle aged woman who talked much about her children and how much she enjoyed her job. Zuko didn't say much in response, his mind always occupied with other things, but she didn't seem to mind.

With his limited mobility, Zuko began to slowly but surely move more, testing his limits, attempting to gain some of his strength back. For a while, he pondered the idea of it all. Why was he even bothering with any of it? Was there even any hope for him to fight for his freedom? Would there ever be another opportunity? Probably not. But then he remembered what Uncle had said. "_There is a world of possibilities out there, Prince Zuko; just you wait._" And so he did. He waited, and he trained.

It was in this state that his next visitor found him, facing the back wall, hovering in a push-up position, holding himself meer inches off the floor. His muscles were aching, sweat was dripping off his face and his breath came in heavy, uneven pants.

When the lock was heard, Zuko didn't even move. He assumed it was just Ki and she always waited for him to be ready and never complained, but when a harsh kick met the back of one knee, driving it into the unforgiving ground and causing his shaking arms to give out, Zuko snarled with fury.

He forced himself up into a sitting position, carefully staying off the now-throbbing knee. When he whirled to face his guest, the scowl was startled off his face.

"_Jet_?" he said, sounding just as bewildered as he had that first day out in the square.

The former freedom fighter stood with his arms crossed over his chest, his face twisted into a sneer that lacked any sort of amusement, a sick mockery of what his expression used to look like before this whole mess. "You need to stop sounding so surprised to see me, _Li_," he said casually, but there was a bitter undertone to his voice that cut through Zuko like a knife.

Zuko hastily settled a stony expression onto his face, just as he had with his sister. His emotions had gotten him into this and he'd learned his lesson. Letting the world read him like a book would only come back to bite him in the ass, especially where Azula and Jet were concerned. "What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice adopting a monotonous tone.

Jet rolled his eyes at this, scoffing like he was spitting a bad taste out of his mouth. "I don't need to explain myself to you," he spat, glaring down at Zuko. "But your sister told me to say 'hello' for her. When I asked if I could drop by for a visit, she was all too willing to say yes. In fact, she seemed a little peeved about something. What'dya do this time to piss her off? C'mon, I'm dyin' to know," Jet said, leaning down a bit to glare right in Zuko's face with some sort of sick look in his eyes.

Zuko, for his own part, didn't flinch as Jet grew closer, instead holding his ground and levelling a bored stare back in Jet's direction. He didn't take Jet's bait, knowing it wouldn't get him anywhere to do so. Instead, he changed the topic entirely away from his sister and instead focused on Jet. "Why did you want to see me?" he asked, completely deadpan. On the inside though, his heart beat quickly against his sternum, anxiousness pounding through him at Jet's proximity. Though he'd been steadily healing and gaining what little strength he had back, he was in no condition to stand up for himself if Jet decided to get physical. He'd simply have to take it lying down with gritted teeth. The mere thought made his blood boil with rage. But if Jet offered some more information, Zuko could outsmart him. He'd always been better at getting a rise out of Jet than vice versa so it wouldn't be difficult to pick at him. The trouble was that if he went to far, Jet would snap and the whole thing would be pointless because he'd beat him senseless anyway.

"Don't read too much into it," he spat the words out. Zuko could hear how Jet was trying to put menace into his voice, but he could also see how his fists clenched into his sleeves where they rested, crossed over his chest.

Everything about Jet was fake. It always had been. Jet was right when he said Zuko didn't know anything about him. He really _didn't. _Now was no different. The air of nonchalance and arrogance was clearly put on. It was a complete act to get Zuko to think that Jet was living just as well as he claimed to be, but Zuko could see the bags under Jet's eyes signifying that he hadn't been sleeping. He could only assume that nightmares, old and new, still gripped Jet just as they did Zuko.

"Okay," Zuko said, sounding almost bored, "Tell me how it is, then."

Zuko could almost hear Jet's teeth grinding together in his mouth, agitation evident in the way his lips twitched. "Stop talking down to me," is what he eventually gritted out and Zuko managed to raise his eyebrow lazily in response. "I don't need you to patronize me, you know. I can see it in your eyes. You're looking at me like some worthless piece of gutter trash." He was shouting now, as he shoved away from the wall and stalked closer to Zuko, pointing a finger rudely in his face. "Well guess what? Who's trash now? You're the one rotting away in here, sitting in your own filth! I'm living like a fucking _prince_." Abruptly, Jet stopped, his face twisting into something almost like pain. He looked away from Zuko quickly, blinking harshly as if he were trying to get dirt out of his eyes. This was the wild side of Jet that Zuko had known the day the Dai Li dragged him away. Zuko was struck with the sudden urge to stand, feeling vulnerable in his crouched position on the stone floor. But he forced himself to quell that feeling and remain calm, not let anything show.

"Jet," Zuko said lowly, and Jet's head snapped back, eyes wild in their wideness, teeth bared madly.

"_What_?!" he yelled.

Zuko gestured to the floor. "Sit down. We should talk."

Jet recoiled at this, as if Zuko had _struck_ him. His hands clenched at his sides and his next words were bit out through his teeth. "Actually, I think I'd rather stand."

Zuko shrugged, forcing himself not to roll his eyes at Jet's stubbornness. Zuko's blood pounded loudly in his ears in that moment and he could feel his palms start to sweat. "Whatever makes you more comfortable," was what he ended up saying, pushing past the nerves to do so. Zuko knew this was all going to be very delicate and Jet was wild and unpredictable on his best days. He could be reckless and dangerous on his worst. "Jet, there's no easy way to tell you this, but you're being lied to. Azula, and everyone here, lies to your face every time they speak. You have to know this," Zuko said seriously, looking up into Jet's eyes with a somewhat grim look on his face, carefully keeping all emotion away.

He expected Jet to blow up at this, to deny it but instead, Zuko was met by a steady gaze from muddy brown eyes and a stony silence that promised Jet would at least try to listen to what he had to say. Taking a deep breath, Zuko continued. "Jet, you used to talk about how much you hate the Fire Nation and how they took your family from you but here you are, running errands for the Fire Lord. It doesn't make any sense. Why throw away everything you ever worked for?" he asked.

Jet's face twitched in a way that told Zuko he was struggling to contain himself. "They said you'd say that. They told me not to believe you. They told me that you would try to corrupt me so I'd help you, but I know better now. I can't trust you." Jet hung his head and Zuko could nearly feel the struggle coming off of him and it almost made him feel bad for Jet before he remembered that he promised himself he would stop feeling.

"What have they told you?" It was risky, asking a bold question of Jet right now, but Zuko had to pry for answers. From what Katara had told him about the Lake Laogai incident, he knew that the Dai Li had brainwashed Jet once before and if those low-life scum were still working under his sister then there was good reason to believe the same thing had occurred. But he also knew that Jet had broken free of this brainwashing before. If only he could find the right buttons to push…

"Tch, like I would give any information to you. I don't need to stand here and explain myself to you. _You're_ the prisoner and _I'm_ the respected soldier," Jet said, a wavering edge to his tone. _Respected soldier? Is that what she told him?_ Zuko's mind continued racing. It still didn't add up, and it was difficult to try to run through all of his information while Jet was standing before him, glaring daggers into his skin and making every part of him hot with anxiety just by _being._

"This is wrong, Jet. You know that. Somewhere inside of you, you know what the truth is and you need to take a stand. That's what the real Jet would do," Zuko said, but he was grasping at straws at this point.

Then he was fighting his reflex to flinch when Jet snapped, suddenly shouting. "You don't know what the real Jet would do! You have no idea who the real Jet is!" That's when Jet reached down, grabbing Zuko by the shoulders and hauling him up. Zuko scrambled to steady his feet, wishing he'd had a tunic of some sort because if he had, Jet probably would've pulled him up by that and spared him the feeling of fingerprints being embedded in his biceps. That feeling soon faded as his back hit the stone wall behind him roughly, the unyielding brick digging into his healing wounds, even through the gauze that attempted to protect them. Zuko forced himself not to scowl at the pain, not to hiss at the stinging bite. Instead, he simply met Jet's eyes as the chains jangled beside him. Jet's face was so close that Zuko could feel his breath, coming in forced pants between his clenched teeth with that wild, untamed look in his eyes.

And they stayed there, simply staring at each other for long, tense moments.

"You don't know anything," Jet finally bit at him, low and final.

But Zuko kept his face calm and placid. "You say that, but I know you're only upset because it's _you_ who doesn't know anything," was his simple, soft reply.

Jet didn't hesitate, didn't flinch. He simply reeled back and punched Zuko square in the face. Zuko tried to take it as well as he could, but the stone behind him was unforgiving as his head smacked back against it. He blinked harshly, trying to will himself to stop seeing stars and focus on Jet's face. He was saying something, probably something important.

" - ation took me in when I was little. My parents were good people. They fought for their country and did their jobs as soldiers. Mom, Dad and Pop. Their own country betrayed them and murdered them in cold bold. It was the Fire Nation soldiers who found me and brought me here. The Fire Nation is trying to stop the Earth Kingdom from abusing its citizens. We're trying to _liberate_ them," Jet said and Zuko's head began to hurt, not just because he'd just been hit but because nothing Jet was saying made a single bit of sense.

As Zuko watched Jet, leaning over him, trapping him against the wall between his shaking arms, his head hung and his shaggy hair covering his face, he realized just how tormented Jet truly was. "And you," he said, voice ragged and broken. "You backstabbed your own people. You snuck into Ba Sing Se to help the Earth King suck the life out of his own people. And when I tried to stop you, they took me away. _My own people_ locked me up for trying to protect them."

Zuko's head was reeling. His story wasn't entirely false. His own people _did_ lock him up because he was trying to stop Zuko, but the logistics behind the world he saw in his head were...so twisted. Only one person could've come up with something like this. Azula.

Zuko sighed heavily, reaching up slowly to tilt Jet's face up. He hardly even realized his own nose was bleeding again. It'd probably been broken six or seven times by now. "Jet," he said quietly, as his fingertips found Jet's cheeks. He seemed to flinch at his touch, but he didn't move away. He looked up and the sadness and grief Zuko saw there was profound in its wholeness. "Someday I'm going to help you remember the truth. I don't know how yet, but I will," Zuko said, meeting Jet's eyes, but careful to keep pity off out his own expression. "I won't ever give up on you, Jet. I promise."

There was a moment, a suspension in time where Jet simply stared at Zuko and Zuko simply stared back, not knowing what was going on in Jet's head.

Then, Jet was wrenching Zuko's hands off his face, shoving away from the wall and spitting at Zuko's feet. "You disgust me," he hissed before he turned his back and left the cell.

And then Zuko was left alone once again, wondering when exactly everything had gotten so messed up.

* * *

Zuko wasn't the type of person who slept heavily or long. Maybe it was the years of restless sleep with nothing but the ocean beneath him; or perhaps it was the ever-present paranoia he had grown into as he aged. These prospects were now coupled with horrific, haunting nightmares, and most nights he found himself awake well into the small hours of the morning, staring up into the darkness above his hard cot.

It was on one such night that he received his next visitor, only a couple days after Jet had dropped by. He was laying on his cot, one hand tucked carefully behind his head and the other resting nonchalantly on his stomach. He was completely still. To the unobservant passerby, he would seem completely relaxed and at ease, but in all reality, every muscle in his body was tense and ready. His back stung and his muscles ached in a dull throb as he lay there, but he couldn't seem to relax even fractionally, no matter how much he tried.

His mind was racing with thoughts. Mainly, it dug up the facts that weighed on Zuko's conscience and laid them bare, fueling the growing expanse of his guilt.

Katara's scream rang through his ears; he flinched. Uncle's gruff voice as he sang resonated through him; his stomach churned. Jet's low, venomous words ate at his heart; he clenched his jaw so tightly he though his teeth would shatter in his mouth. His eyes pinched shut hard enough to make them water. His hand on his stomach curled into a tight fist.

_Never again…_ he promised himself silently. _I'm not going to lose anyone ever again… I don't think I could handle it_. His thoughts spiraled into a weary hole that filled to the brim with dismay and contempt. Drowning, he decided; it felt like he was drowning in the negativity plaguing his mind.

Without any warning, Zuko was hurriedly sitting up. The sudden movement caused a slicing pain to rip through his back but other than a faint hiss leaking from his lips, he ignored it. He held his breath and for the briefest of moments he thought that maybe he was wrong, maybe he was just being paranoid.

But then he heard them. Footsteps. Light, careful, but definitely noticeable to his trained ears. Just as obviously not wanting to be heard. It was someone who didn't belong here, sneaking about. _Maybe they're not here for me_, he thought. He realized the likelihood of that wasn't as high as the opposite. There was a good chance it was someone who wanted to take shots at the fallen prince. _Well, good, _Zuko thought. Go ahead. Let them try.

Of course there was a very small percentage of chance that they were friendly footsteps, someone coming to speak to him about a rebellion movement outside of this hellhole, or even Aang, if he'd escaped from his cell and came to bust Zuko out. But the chances of that were so slim, Zuko didn't even allow himself to entertain the idea. Instead, he prepared himself for the beating he was about to receive.

He rose slowly as his fingers curled tightly into his palms and he raised his chin in defiance as he heard the footsteps stop just outside the door to his cell.

As the sound of keys could be heard, Zuko automatically assumed a fighting position. His scabbing wounds stretched uncomfortably but he ignored them, taking up a strong stance despite all of his aches and pains.

The door began to slide open with a soft groan from the metal and Zuko's shoulders tensed in discomfort as his jaw locked. He surprised himself when he felt a ball of nerves knot up in his stomach.

There was only one thin figure silhouetted against the dim light filtering into the room and as that figure approached, small, gloved hands reached to cover Zuko's fists, lowering them gently.

The banished prince was too shocked to do anything but drop his arms and stand there with his mouth open, eyes blinking while they tried to adjust to the small bit of light so he could see. Finally, after a long, awkward moment, he could comprehend the figure in standing before him.

"...Mai?" he rasped quietly.

A soft "shh" sound came from the girl before him as she stepped closer. "Yes, it's me," she answered, her voice hard to her from her hushed tone. She opened her mouth to speak again but Zuko's words ran over hers before she had the chance to get them out.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were still at the Boiling Rock. How did you get out? Are you alright? Is Azula after you? Does she know you're here in the Capitol?" His voice adopted a panic-stricken tone as he worried over her.

She glared at him fiercely, that much he could tell in the dark, and scolded him, "Keep your voice down or we're going to be caught. Sit down and I'll explain everything." She placed her hands on his shoulders delicately and with a grimace, he allowed her to ease him over to the edge of the cot so he could sit with hunched shoulders, trying to mask the pain the movement caused.

"Will you just answer my questions?" he all but growled, annoyed at how she was coddling him.

He couldn't see very clearly but he thought she rolled her eyes at him as she kneeled in front of him. "Shush, let me worry over you for a minute or two," she said, taking his face in her hands. He winced as her thumbs found his nose. "Your nose is broken and you look ugly because of it."

"Gee, thanks," he deadpanned.

"Here, let me - " He pulled her hands away before she could finish that statement. She slapped his wrists in response. "Oh, don't be a baby. It won't even hurt. But make sure you don't make any noise." And then she was pressing her thumbs against his nose, cracking it back into place. Zuko bit down on his tongue to keep from grunting at the pain as a glob of gross, thick blood dripped from his realigned airways. He stifled his urge to cough but held his hand up to his nose, wiping away the blood with the back of it until Mai handed him a cloth of some kind.

"Thanks," he said gruffly, gingerly pressing the fabric to his nose.

"Alright, I don't have a lot of time so let me explain this quickly. Ty Lee got me out of the Boiling Rock. It only took a little lying and a little acting but I've been pardoned so I'm fine for now. Azula knows I'm here and she has be under house arrest, but the guards I had Ty Lee pick out are loyal to my uncle so I had them sneak me in here to talk to you. I am _fine. _I want you to worry about you and your friends," she said, all in a rush as she placed a soothing hand on Zuko's knee.

Zuko leaned on his elbows, his head slightly hung as he looked down away from Mai's face. "I'm alright," he murmured, not knowing exactly how truthful he was being with her or himself. He thought on it for a long moment and he could feel her stare as she waited for him to reach an internal conclusion. He took a deep breath and let it out in a harsh rush of air. "Okay, so maybe I'm not," he said sheepishly. He ran a hand through his hair in a desperate gesture. "Everything has fallen apart. Nothing is going right. I need to fix it but I don't know how!" His voice had risen again and Mai hurriedly raised her hands to his forearms.

"Shh, keep your voice down," she reprimanded before softening again. "It's going to be okay, Zuko. I promise. I came here to talk to you about something really important." She paused and reached up to touch his face, startling him into meeting her eyes. "We're getting you out of here. Tomorrow. My uncle's guards stand behind you Zuko. Their captain, Sheng, is outside right now; he said they would help me get you out of here."

He pulled back in shock, moving away from the touch of her delicate hand. "What?" he said quietly. He shook his head almost immediately. "No. No, you can't. I can't leave without Aang. And Sokka and Toph for that matter," he said adamantly.

"Yes, them too. We have a plan, Zuko and you need to trust me. You and Aang are the only hope the world has at being saved from Azula's tyranny. _You_ are the only hope the Fire Nation has at redemption," she said firmly, rising up onto her knees to reach for his face again.

Moving deftly to the side, he caught her wrist in his fingers. He saw her expression fall slightly, but his face wasn't a place he liked to be touched. He met her gaze with a darkly serious one of his own. "I will, you know. I'll redeem the Fire Nation. I swear it."

Mai heaved a sigh as she removed her wrist from his light grip. "I know you will, Zuko. I believe in you." Her voice was very quiet and for several long moments, Zuko wasn't even sure she had spoken at all, but then those long moments passed and Mai was pressing onward once again. "Tomorrow, Sheng's men will come for you. Just follow along with them and they'll get you out. Do what they say and play along. I can't tell you much more than that." She took one of Zuko's tense hands and held it between her own. "And you take care of yourself, Zuko. You're the hope of the Fire Nation now. Not everyone out there supports Azula, you know. Your people have faith in you… And so do I." She took his hand and raised it to her lips, pressing them lightly against his calloused knuckles before letting go and moving to stand, but he held her in place.

"Wait, I still have questions. What about Aang and Sokka and Toph? Aang and Sokka won't leave without Katara, they _won't_ -"

"Don't worry about that. You'll all get out separately. You'll meet up on the outskirts of the Capitol. They'll be out of danger before they ever know she's not coming with them," Mai said firmly, though she sounded almost sad.

"Okay, but what about you? What if Azula traces this back to you?" he said, trying to keep his voice at a whisper but feeling the panic and paranoia bubble up inside of him.

Mai shrugged. "Then she finds out and I'm thrown back in prison. This is a sacrifice I have to make Zuko. For y-... For the Fire Nation. For the world."

"No, she won't throw you in jail Mai. She'll _kill_ you. She doesn't care, she -"

"Then I die."

Zuko stared at her, baffled. "Mai, I'm not going to let you throw your life away for me, I -"

"You don't have a choice Zuko. Come tomorrow, those men will drag you out of here, kicking and screaming if they have to." Her eyes shone fiercely in the di light and Zuko didn't know what to say.

Zuko rushed forward onto his knees to wrap her in his arms. His face buried in her hair, he mumbled the only thing he could think of, "Thank you. You have no idea how brave you're being." Taking a deep breath, he pulled back to meet her eyes once more. "And… I'm sorry. Maybe… Maybe someday I'll be able to…" he trailed off, unable to articulate what he meant.

But Mai had always been good at discerning what Zuko wanted to say and she forced a transparent smile anyway. "It's okay, Zuko. I understand." He felt obligated to force a smile of his own, but it ended up feeling more like a grimace and gave up as soon as he tried. She pulled away from him and stood. "I'm out of time. I'm going to stay here with Azula and Ty Lee. She shouldn't be able to trace this back to me so please don't worry yourself too much. If there's anything else I can do, any information I can get to you, I'll try my best. Good luck, Zuko and…goodbye."

"You've done more than enough Mai," he whispered. The word 'goodbye' got stuck in his throat. He couldn't say it, even though it might be the last time he had the chance. Zuko felt a sick dread creep into him as he thought about that word. _I told myself I wouldn't lose anyone else. _He clenched his teeth and made himself a promise that this loss wouldn't be permanent. Closing his eyes tightly, he leaned forward and found her lips with his in a heated kiss. After a moment, Zuko pulled back and rested his forehead against hers and simply looked into her eyes, hoping she'd see the apology in his.

And as she rested her hand on his cheek again, he simply closed his eyes. Then he heard the door open, shut and lock. And when he opened his eyes, he was alone with the darkness and his thoughts once more, hoping it hadn't all been a dream.


End file.
